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Chosen City Church Sermons
Pressure | Philippians 3:13-14 | Pastor Walter Bowers Jr.
We're continuing with Part 3 of the "Breaking Barriers" series, Pressure. This sermon focuses on breaking through life's barriers with faith, resilience, and active participation. You are encouraged to pursue your calling, speak toward your limitations, and embrace the power of sacrifice to experience personal breakthroughs.
• Applying pressure to barriers leads to breakthroughs
• The importance of resilience in the face of challenges
• Pursuing happiness and joy actively
• Extraordinary faith creates extraordinary outcomes
• Sacrifice is a prerequisite for breakthroughs
• Speaking to barriers empowers change
• Exhortation as a means of seeking divine intervention
• Remembering God's love fuels perseverance
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Intro and outro created by Joe Anderson Jr. of Truflava Productions
God, I feel your presence in this place. We thank you for feeling your presence every time we come in here, but I feel something different on today. Thank you, lord. Allow us to operate in your perfect will. Thank you, lord. No distractions, have your way. It's a powerful 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, hallelujah. It is so. Philippians, the third chapter, verse 13 through 14. As we read the word of God out loud together Philippians, the third chapter, verse 13 through 14. Reading from the King James Version today and we're going to read the word of God out loud together Ready set, read Brethren.
Speaker 1:I count, not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do getting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus. Amen, that's it. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord Today. Family, we have just simply come to apply pressure. We have come to apply pressure. It's interesting because I have a challenge today to always be true to the truth, true to the sacred text, because that's where the power is, that's where the breakthrough is. But today is not. For those of you who are classically and theologically trained, the assignment today is not to exegete every precept that's found in this particular passage of Scripture. Passage of scripture. It is really to deal with the application of what Paul was saying and how it's going to help you to put pressure on your barrier.
Speaker 1:Today, paul, this church at Philippi was the first church that he launched after his Macedonian call church that he launched after his Macedonian call. Remember he got that call where he was trying to discern what God was saying to him. He had done a lot of great things in the earth and he was on trying to figure out where his next move would be. That's some of y'all right Right now where you trying to figure out what your next move. You've done some good stuff trying to figure out where your next move is going to be. And so he tries to go to one place, but the Holy Spirit wouldn't let him go. He tries to go to another place, elder Robin, but the Holy Spirit wouldn't let him go. And then he ended up in this place called Troas.
Speaker 1:We've talked about Troas a lot because Troas is sometimes a scary place, but it's actually the most beautiful place you could be, because it is in Troas where God will speak to you about your next. So it was in Troas that God gave him a clear vision and he understood his assignment. That is my prayer that God will start to give you clear vision so you can understand your assignment, so you can understand your new next, so that you can have confirmation about where you need to do it, when you need to do it and how it needs to be done. Can you receive that by faith that God? I'm my Troas. I'm going to stay there until you speak a clear rhema word and I'm not going to move God because if I make a mistake this time I might find myself in trouble. I may write a check that you know something can't cash. Amen, somebody.
Speaker 1:He's in Troas. God speaks to him, he gets his call and he heads to what we know as present day Europe. He gets there and the first church that is planted there is this church at Philippi. They are a church that is surrounded by retired military folk and other people that were loyal to the emperor, loyal to the king. So this concept that Jesus was the king was something that always caused some trouble.
Speaker 1:Paul would later find himself in jail from simply doing what God has called him to do. I want to talk to somebody right now. Don't worry about those times where you feel bound because you're doing what God has called you to do. It's not going to last. It's not going to last. As a matter of fact. I want to declare as a man of God today that if you have been bound simply because you have been doing what God has called you to do, get ready you about to come out of this. He is bound.
Speaker 1:And they sent a. They sent a letter, they sent a messenger with some money to Paul to say Paul, we want to support you while you are in bondage for doing what God has called you to do. And then Paul, as they put money on his books right, if you will, if you know, you know, they put money on his books. And he sends this letter back and the letter is what we refer to today as the book of Philippians. And in this letter he talks to them about breaking away from religious strongholds. He talks to them about Jesus. He tells the gospel story, but round about this third chapter is where it gets real to Paul. It's where he starts to tell his story.
Speaker 1:I really believe that the most impactful way that we share the gospel of Jesus Christ is not only just to tell the story, you just to tell the story. You got to tell the story, but you also got to be able to tell your story, and that's what he does here. He says listen, let me, let me help you understand. While I'm telling you all to hold on, you all think, because I am the apostle, that my life is, is great. I mean I'm locked up. Y'all think, because I'm the apostle, that I don't cry sometimes. Y'all think, because I'm the apostle, I don't struggle sometimes.
Speaker 1:And he says listen, let me make a praying to you. He says, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, meaning that I have not gotten to the place where God will have me to be, even though I am anointed by God. I want to talk to some real anointed people in the room that don't mind saying I know I'm anointed, but I have yet to apprehend everything that God has gotten for me. That's why I show up every Sunday, that's why I pray the way I pray, that's why I cry the way I cry, because I know that there is something greater for me. I wish I had some witnesses in the room that don't mind testifying that you know that there is something greater for me. He says I have not apprehended it. He said but this one thing I do. He said I have to forget about those things which are behind.
Speaker 1:He said I can't focus on all of the struggles of my yesterday. I want to, for all of the intercessors in the room, because we ain't coming to play today. I need all the intercessors in the room because we can't. We ain't coming to play today. I need all the intercessors in the room, I need y'all to start praying. I'm going to ask y'all to pray so many times. You're going to be praying anyway, but I'm going to ask you really to pray today Because there's somebody right now that they can't break through because they keep thinking about what happened yesterday.
Speaker 1:They can't break through because they keep thinking about the mistakes of their past. They can't break through because he keeps popping up in their mind oh wretched person that every time they want to do good, evil is always present. They can't break through. If Paul had not have been able to break through every time he tried to go forth, he would have remembered that he was a persecutor of the people of God at one time in his life. So he said I can't think about that. When people try to bring up the fact that I was responsible for arresting Christians. I can't think about that. When people used to think of bring up the fact that I had a past. I can't think about that. I want to lose somebody and tell you right now you can't think about that.
Speaker 1:Forgetting those things that are behind, forgetting those things that are 2024, forgetting those things that are childhood scars. Forgetting those things. And when we say forget, we're not suggesting that suddenly you're going to have a case of Holy Ghost amnesia, but what we are suggesting is that it will no longer have you bound. Yeah, it'll no longer have you on lock. You'll be at liberty to be who God has called you to do. I wish I had some people at an eight o'clock crowd that came for liberty today, that I, that I'm not going to be bound by a bad relationship from yesterday. I'm not going to be bound by a bad financial decision from yesterday. I'm not going to be bound by my mistakes of yesterday, because who the son sets free is free. Indeed, forgetting those things which are behind and do what, reaching forth for those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Speaker 1:And that's where I shift a little bit from Paul to talk about what you have to do to have the experience that Paul had in his life. Paul had this experience and encounter with God that allowed him to break barriers in ways that we've never seen barriers be broken and right, y'all ready to apply some pressure. Yeah, we've come. I believe, by faith, all at every service today, in Jesus' name, that we're going to see some of y'all barriers snap. I believe that, in Jesus' name, some is going to be a process, but somebody's barrier is going to snap. Today it's going to snap. Today. Y'all got that kind of faith. I got that kind of faith that somebody's barrier is going to snap today. Well, the first thing that we learn that, in order for a barrier to be like Paul, in order to put pressure on the barrier I'm going to walk through that word pressure, you'll never look at the word pressure again the first thing we got to do if we're going to put pressure on the barrier is that we have to pursue. Everybody say pursue. Say it like you mean it, pursue. If I'm going to put pressure on the barrier. I got to pursue my happiness. I got to pursue my joy. I have to pursue the call that's on my life. I have to pursue everything that God has for me.
Speaker 1:The problem for some of us is that you have been lackadaisical about your own breakthrough. You've been waiting on other folk to break it for you, when the real reality is that God has called you to break it yourself. I'm gonna say it one more time You've been waiting on the right preacher. You've been waiting on it one more time. You've been waiting on the right preacher. You've been waiting on the right praise team. You've been waiting on the right church, when in reality, god is saying to you the same thing he said to Moses what's in your hand? And at the end of the day, if this thing is going to shift, it's going to shift because you got up and decided that you're going to pursue your own peace of mind. You got up inside that you're going to work out your own soul salvation. With fear and trembling you got up and decided that misery can't live here anymore. You got up and decided I'm going to stand for something. I wish I had some people in the room that decided that they are going to pursue it. If we're going to put some pressure on this thing, you got to pursue it.
Speaker 1:That's one of the movies I used to watch. I think it's called Pacific Rim. It's one of the ones. It might be a little corny to you, but I'll tell you about 30 years it's going to be a cult classic. You know it's going to be like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. When that first came out they said back in the 70s it didn't do too good. But 20, 30 years later everybody know about Willy Wonka. I'm telling you, pacific Rim is a little corny, cheesy movie.
Speaker 1:I love it where these little aliens come up from the middle of the ocean and tear up everything. Y'all know how those movies go. And in the first movie they come up, they tear up everything. We defend ourselves and we survive. The second movie they come up. This time they're bigger and they're bad and they tear up most stuff and we survive. But in the middle of the end of the second movie I said, man, I hope they make another one, even though I feel like I'm the only person in the movie and I hope they make another one. They said, the man said something that blessed me y'all, and he blessed me real good. He said what are we going to do this time? They said well, this time we're not going to wait for them to bring the fight to us In part three, we're going to bring the fight to them. And I want to talk to the people in the room and say you've got to put some pressure on the barrier. You've been waiting and you've been playing defense too long, but in this season you've got to take the fight to the enemy. You better ask David about it First, samuel, the 30th chapter, where he had lost everything.
Speaker 1:He had lost his family after going out to fight. He had lost his family, he had lost his possessions. The adversary, the enemy, came in while he was away from home. Men of God, I want to remind you that it's always significant to me that the men were out and they left nobody there to take care of their house and and they were all out in battle and they left the women and the children and all the valuables back and the adversary snuck in the camp while all the men was gone. I want to say that again to the men of God. Did you hear what I said? When the men were out doing what they were supposed to do, they left their house exposed. That when their house exposed, the creeped in. I want to say it again because it just disturbs me that all the men was gone and they left their house exposed. Men, how long are we going to be gone and keep leaving our houses exposed? But even when they made a bad choice and they got back and everything was gone, what do you do when you make a bad choice and everything is gone? What do you do when you make a bad choice and everything is gone? What do you do when you make a bad choice and bad things happen because of the decision you make? Well, you do, just like David.
Speaker 1:He called for the ephod, which was his way of connecting to the holy one. He went into his posture of worship. He he was trying to discern what God was saying, even before we had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, like we have today. And he goes to the Lord and he asks God one question Shall I pursue these bandits, these thugs that have taken everything that matters the most, lord? Can I go after them and bust their head to the white meat. And the Lord said go, david. I want to talk to every man and woman in the room. And the Lord just said go, david. I want to talk to every man and woman in the room. And the Lord just said go, david. I want to talk to every David in the room. The Lord just said go, and you shall surely somebody say surely, surely recover it all. That's a word for somebody who was afraid to move. God said go and you shall recover it all. If we're going to apply pressure, we got to pursue what we lost. If we're going to apply pressure, we got to go after it, even when we look crazy. But if we're going to apply pressure, not only must we pursue it, we also have to be resilient. Somebody say resilient.
Speaker 1:One of my favorite scriptures is this. It says this Proverbs 24, verse 6, for a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again. To be resilient means you've got to have a bounce back spirit. Now, some of you, your barrier has knocked you down. But the Lord says for a just man falleth seven times and rises up again. And I heard the Lord say that you, if you're going to put pressure on the barrier, if you're going to put pressure on the thing that's between you and your necks, if you're going to put pressure on the thing that you are trying to break through. You got to have a comeback spirit and that's what I want to pray for y'all right now, at even at eight o'clock in the morning that that we become a church that are surrounded by people that have a comeback spirit. We have to produce an atmosphere in this house that people who have fallen seven times feel safety here because they understand that, even though they've had falls in their lives, that in this house of worship we're going to facilitate a comeback. Because I want to let you know that with Christ Jesus in your life, there's always the possibility of a comeback. And I want to talk to somebody today and let you know that, no matter how many times you get knocked down I believe it was a songwriter that said that we fall down but guess what? We get up. And if you're going to put pressure on the adversary, you got to know how to get knocked down but suddenly know how to get back up.
Speaker 1:Y'all know I love 90s hip-hop and I love movies, and today I bring you to the book of Rocky Balboa. Anybody remember that time where Rocky was fighting the Russian? And I want you to go home and pull out your VHS tape and I want you to watch it again. There's a scene that y'all probably missed. If you're not paying careful attention to, you missed the good stuff. It's that scene where Rocky is still losing the fight on the scorecard but at some point the Russian realizes about halfway through the fight that there's something different about the Italian stallion. I've given him my best shot. I punched him in the mouth. I dotted his eye. I punched him in the mouth, I dotted his eye. I hit him below the belt, but somewhere y'all see it, minister Bryan saw it it was this scene where the round was over and Rocky was looking, beat up and busted up, and the Russian looked around and saw that Rocky stood up again. Oh, the life went out of the Russian because he said I can't break him and I want to talk to somebody in the room.
Speaker 1:To be resilient means that you have looked at the enemy in the eye and said you can't break me. I might get bloody in this fight, my eye might get dotted, but I'm resilient and you can't break me. And I want to talk to some people in the room. You got to preach to your own barrier today. I don't know what the barrier is, but I need you to start talking to it right now and tell that barrier you can't break me. You better start saying out loud you can't break me. Because if we're going to put pressure on this thing, we got to be resilient. We're going to put pressure on this thing, we got to be resilient. We're going to put pressure on our barriers. We got to pursue, we got to be resilient.
Speaker 1:It requires extraordinary faith. P R E extraordinary faith. Luke, the 7th chapter, reminds us of this Roman officer who, jesus said, had extraordinary faith. His daughter or someone in his family had gotten sick and they asked Jesus for his assistance. Something unusual happens. Because when you operate with extraordinary faith, something unusual starts to happen. You don't operate like other people operate. You know why? Because you can see what other people can't see.
Speaker 1:This Roman officer saw something in Jesus that other people can't see. He said Jesus, I don't mean to trouble you, I know you're busy. There's someone at my house, a servant that is not doing too good. Jesus said let me finish up over here and I'm going to get over to your house. But the man said something that signified his extraordinary faith. He said Jesus, you don't have to come to your house.
Speaker 1:First of all, I'm not even worthy for you to come to my house. You don't have to come to my house, I'm not even worthy. But I see something in you, lord. I never met you before, but I see something in you. I see something in you, lord. I never met you before, but I see something in you. I see something in you, lord, that I've come to the conclusion I hadn't been to seminary, I hadn't had much theological training, but I see something in you. I see, and I understand, god that there is something in you that if you just say a word, if you just say a word I know this because I'm an officer in the military I understand authority. I understand that if I tell one of my soldiers to do this, they do it. If I tell them to do that, they do it. And he said I see something in you, I see your authority and I see the authority because you have authority over in the, in the, in the heavenly realms. You got authority in the earth. All you got to do is say a word. And Jesus said because of the man's extraordinary faith. Jesus said I have not seen faith like this in all of Israel. And he said go on back home, because your faith has healed your servant.
Speaker 1:If you are going to put some pressure on On your barrier, you got to learn to see some stuff in our God that you have never seen before. Your theology has to change. It has to go deeper. I don't care if you read the Bible 42 times, backwards and forwards. I'm here to tell you in this season of 2025. You got to go deeper. I don't care if you know the Hebrew, the Greek, the Aramaic all that good stuff, that's cool, but I'm here to tell you that you got to go deeper with your understanding of who God is and what he is saying, because his thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways. And if we are going to operate in extraordinary faith, it's going to require a different understanding of who God is and how he operates in the universe.
Speaker 1:But when you have extraordinary faith, you can expect God to do some extraordinary things. That's why I expect God to break at least three barriers today. At a minimum. I'm expecting three barriers to be broken today, because I left here last night with extraordinary faith. I said God, I'm crazy enough to believe that somebody is going to have their testimony that their barrier has been broken. I wish I had some people that said I can't wait till tomorrow. God, you're going to have to break this one today. Let the saints that got a little bit more patience. Let them wait till tomorrow. But God, when the day, let the saints they got a little bit more patience. Let them wait till tomorrow. But god, my patience it ran out. Lord, let my pain is too much. I've been in the storm too long.
Speaker 1:And if that's you, god is saying all it requires is to have some extraordinary faith. I wish I had some people in the room that don't mind saying I got some extraordinary faith. I can see something that the world cannot see. I got extraordinary faith. I believe that there's still power in the name of Jesus, but when you operate with extraordinary faith, when you pursue and you're resilient, you have extraordinary faith. Extraordinary faith requires extraordinary actions and it requires an extraordinary lifestyle, which brings us to our S that if you're going to put pressure on your barrier, it's going to require you to sacrifice.
Speaker 1:Everybody want to talk about breakthrough, but nobody want to talk about sacrifice. If you're going to have a breakthrough, you're going to talk about sacrifice. If you're gonna have a breakthrough, you're gonna have to sacrifice. We just live in this society today where we want everything handed to us but jesus, bear the cross alone and all the world go free. No, there's a cross for everyone and there's a cross for me. Luke 9, verse 23, says this if you're going to put some pressure on your barrier, this is Jesus talking and he said to all if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.
Speaker 1:I want to talk to some people in the room and say this that the Lord is saying that I will break the barrier for you and it will happen quite suddenly, but it will not happen without sacrifice. It will not happen without you dying to doing it your way. It will not happen without you dying to doing it how you did it, where you came from. It's going to require extreme sacrifice and the reason some of us are not having any breakthroughs is because we don't want to sacrifice anything. We want to keep our own thought process, we want to keep our own proclivities, we want to stay in our own comfort zone. We want to look at everybody but ourselves, and God is saying that you got to deny yourself. The moment we start talking about how I feel, I feel, I want, I want, I want, all we are doing is prolonging the breakthrough process. God is saying that I'm looking for some people that want to fully surrender and get out your own feelings and get out your own way and submit your life fully unto the Lord. Does it mean that we're perfect? No, but we're striving towards perfection.
Speaker 1:I've gotten to the point in my life now that I'm like you know what my life is, not my own. Y'all know that song I'm giving myself away so you can use me. The Lord is saying I'm going to break it through, but you have to get to the point where you say my life is not my own To you, I belong, I give myself to you. That means I give my calendar to the Lord, I give my career to the Lord, I give my finances to the Lord. I give my children to the Lord. Did y'all realize that? One day, as a parent, y'all probably figured this out? One day, as a parent, I discovered that my children ain't my children. Did y'all know? That was an earth shattering moment for me. I thought that they were mine, but the Lord said you just a steward. Them ain't yours, they're mine. They playing it's beyond you. Just say you just a steward. So the moment you get them back to me, the better their life gonna be.
Speaker 1:I want to talk to somebody and say as long as you hold on to it, it'll never be where it's supposed to be. But we got to deny ourselves. Can I tell you like this To deny yourself is going to require you to get out your feelings. To deny yourself is going to require you. Now you ain't got no excuses, no more. I ain't going to do it because they hurt me. I ain't going to do it because I'm not ready. It's not about you.
Speaker 1:God is saying you keep doing it the way you've been doing it, you'll get the same results. But the moment that you sacrifice, sacrifice everything and give yourself to the Lord, that's how we put some pressure on the barrier. We got to pursue. We got to be resilient. We got to pursue. We got to be resilient. We got to have extraordinary faith. You got to sacrifice for good. God Almighty, family, I'm here to tell you. When you pursue after it and you are resilient, you have extraordinary faith and you start to sacrifice and say God, it's whatever.
Speaker 1:Somebody say God it's whatever. Say God, it's whatever. Wherever you want me to go, I'll go. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do God it's whatever. Say God it's whatever. Wherever you want me to go, I'll go. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do God it's whatever. When you get like that for real, like it's whatever, can I be real about it? You know what it's whatever. Feel like, can I be real about it? I'm going to be real about it.
Speaker 1:Anyway, you have been that way in the natural before. It was that relationship that almost killed you With that person. You say it's whatever, babe, we ain't got no money. It's whatever, babe, you ain't got no plan. It's whatever Because I love you. I ain't the only one in the room, am I? I know I ain't the only one in the room. And in the natural that costs you a lot because you were with the wrong person. But in the natural that costs you a lot because you were with the wrong person.
Speaker 1:But in the spirit realm, if you could ever wake up one day and love Jesus the way you love Mal, sean and Malik, if you could ever wake up one day and love Jesus more than you love Boquish and them, if you could ever wake up and fall in love with Jesus and say falling in love with Jesus was the best thing that ever happened to me, it'll be easy to get up and say, god, it's whatever. I love you more than I love myself. It's whatever. And I know you'll never treat me like the other folk treated me. And if I gave them so much God, I'm going to give you my all Because in this season of my life it's whatever.
Speaker 1:That's how you put pressure on the barrier. The enemy never wants you to get to the point where you look at it and say, god, it's whatever. Because he said uh-oh, that's a dangerous sight. We were trying to keep them in that traditional religious box. Uh-oh, that's a dangerous sight. We were trying to keep them from operating in the power of the Holy Ghost. Uh-oh, we ain't gonna be able to keep that one down much longer, because they've gotten to the place but they've denied themselves and they are following the will of Christ in their life. And when you get to that place where you pursue and you resilient, you have extraordinary faith, you sacrifice and die to self. There's a shift that happens. Somebody say there's a shift that happens. Now you'll be able to speak to the barrier. Yeah, you'll be able to speak to the barrier with power and authority. See, as we sacrifice ourselves and we find ourselves being filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, we can speak to the barrier.
Speaker 1:Mark 11, verse 23, says For verily, I say unto you that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. I want you to read it until you get happy Mark 11, verse 23, king James Version. For verily, this Jesus talking, I say unto you that whosoever that means not just the preacher, not just the worship and arts ministry, lottie, dottie and everybody shall say unto this mountain, what's the mountain? It's the barrier. What's the barrier? Whatever your problem is, what's the barrier? The very thing that you're trying to break through.
Speaker 1:God's saying that you want to put pressure on your barrier. You got to learn to speak to the barrier. I wish I had some people in the room that say I don't come to church to be quiet because I have learned that every now and then I got to speak to the barrier. I want to have some people in the room that don't mind. Sometimes, if you help hear me speaking to my barrier, that you'll jump in and you'll start speaking with me. That's when church gets real good, dickon Coleman, when you hear me praying for my breakthrough and you tag, team in and start praying with me.
Speaker 1:I wish I had some tag team prayers in the room, but here's the reality of the situation is that if you understand anything about wrestling and the tag team concept, the other person won't know that you need help until you send some type of signal. You be in the ring fighting all this time and they just waiting on you to signal signal so they could tag in. And I'm here to tell you now. If you start speaking out loud to the barrier, if you start speaking to the mountain, I promise you that somebody's about to tag in with you. Yeah, it's cool that you could pray at home all by yourself, but we have gathered here at eight o'clock in the morning because we are surrounded by some tag team champions and I bet you won't start decreeing and declaring out loud and start speaking to your barrier now. I praise God and I thank you y'all that y'all know how to worship and clap your hands, but the Lord is saying I don't want your clap right now. I want the fruit of your lips. I want you to speak to the barrier and if somebody hears you speak to your barrier, they about to tag in and start speaking that thing with you.
Speaker 1:One of my folk that came into the church this morning that said I have come to speak to my barrier. I have come to speak to my barrier and say you no longer have power over me. I've come to speak to my barrier and say get thee hence in Jesus' name. I have come to speak to my barrier and say I cried about it last season, but I've cried my last tear yesterday. I wish I had some people that didn't mind speaking a word. You better learn to speak to the barrier. Somebody, start speaking to your barrier right now. Be obedient to the Spirit. Somebody, just say it out loud. Say it's over. Good, I can run off that, marcus. You heard what Pastor Chris said. Pastor Chris started speaking to the barrier right there. He said it's over Now. Who going to tag in with Pastor Chris, if you just heard the man of God speak to a barrier and say it's over, it should be about 15 other people right now saying it's over.
Speaker 1:Somebody out there saying it's over. Somebody just said he's going to make a way. Now somebody started by tagging in on that because your friend just said he's going to make a way. I need somebody to tag in and say he's going to make a way. We've got to tag in and speak to the barrier. Oh, speak to the barrier. Speak to it. Speak to it. Command the barrier. Speak to it. Speak to it. Command the barrier. Command the barrier. Stop playing with it. We didn't come to church to play. Command the barrier, speak to it right now. Speak to it out loud so we can tag in with you.
Speaker 1:And I learned that I'm speaking to the barrier. And I learned that I'm speaking to the barrier. And I learned that I'm speaking and other people are tagging in. God has shown me something else about speaking, minister Brian. That was different than even what I learned.
Speaker 1:First Corinthians, the 14th chapter, said there's a reason that the gift of tongues is given to the church. Now, I didn't go out with that. I didn't understand that. But I'll tell you the truth, the reason. I knew that that spiritual gift was real because when I gave God my yes and started preaching, I was at Fort Sill, oklahoma, in Gerimo Lodge, on the second floor, all by myself. I was getting ready to go hang out with my boys.
Speaker 1:I was a second lieutenant in officer basic training and the Holy Ghost came upon me and I said, god, I have no desire to do what you have called me to do. I finally got some money. I want to go have a good time. The last thing I want to do is get out here and do this work. But something came over me and I began to speak y'all. And when I began to speak this time, it wasn't in a natural language that I could understand, and I didn't understand that because I wasn't trained that way. I didn't understand that because I didn't have anybody in my family that could tell me about what it meant. But all I knew that I was in that room and it became to come from my soul I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I.
Speaker 1:Corinthians 14. First Corinthians 14 says that I've given you those lips, that language, because sometimes you got to talk to a barrier. But every now and then you got to stop talking to the barrier and you got to start talking to me. And when I use that gift I ain't talking to you, no more. I I'm talking to the king of kings Because I've talked to the barrier and it ain't broken yet. So when I go that way, I'm putting more pressure on the barrier. I wish I had some people that believe like that. I wish I had some people that understood like that.
Speaker 1:This gift has become something that we play with too much. It has become a showy thing in worship. But you ought to have some time with God and you have a conversation that you can't even articulate, because Romans 8 chapter says that when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit intercedes on our behalf, and that's what people in the room right now. You ought to let the Spirit intercede on your behalf, and I saw people in the room right now. You ought to let the Spirit intercede on your behalf. You want it broken, but you don't know what to pray for. I pray right now in Jesus' name that he loosens you and if you're open to it, he gives you the ability to talk to Him in ways that are beyond human understanding. When I talk to him, I'm not talking to my friend anymore, I'm talking to the lover of my soul, and sometimes to put pressure on the barrier, I got to learn to talk to him. We got to pursue, we got to be resilient, we got to have extraordinary faith, we got to sacrifice, we got to speak, and then we got to unleash. Everybody say unleash, yeah.
Speaker 1:2 Timothy, 1. Verse 6 and 7. Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love. Power and of love and of a sound mind. I'm surveying the room because when I was here last night, the Lord said read that scripture, because my assignment today is not really just to preach. My assignment today is not in the form of an adjective. My assignment today is in the form of an adjective. My assignment today is a form of an adverb, where we have to allow God to stir up the gifts that are within us. Does that make sense? We have to allow God to stir up the gifts. Do y'all know what that means?
Speaker 1:Paul saw something that was in Timothy that Paul didn't put there per se. It was from the Lord, but Paul's assignment was different. He said there's something like in this woman of God that I'm touching right here. He said there's something in you, woman of God, and you've been through a lot, you got a lot of pressure, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, it's time to stir up the gift. See, if the gift gets stirred, you can deal with the problem.
Speaker 1:And I want to pray right now, in Jesus' name, y'all praying with me, that God will stir up the gift that's in this woman right now, in Jesus' name. Because if the gift gets stirred, y'all don't understand what happens if the gift gets stirred. If the gift gets stirred, you become a real problem. You understand that If the gift gets stirred, you become a threat to the enemy's camp. If the gift gets stirred, you can resolve your own issues. If the gift gets stirred, you can do something, y'all praying with me.
Speaker 1:I said I want to see God just stir up the gift that's in this woman of God right here, like never before. In Jesus' name, y'all praying with me, operating supernaturally. Are y'all praying with me? Y'all ought to pray God stir up the gifts in her. You ought to be praying that God will stir up the gifts in me. You ought to be praying that way, deacon King, praying for your man of God. Such a silent, strong man just lost your brother. But, lord, we need Deacon King. He's a humble spirit, he's a peaceful man, but God, he's yet to tap into everything that he can do. So, stir up the gift, fan the flame, father God, stir up the gift. Fan the fan the flame, father god. Stir stir up the gift in him right now. In jesus name, stir, stir up the gift, god, stir it up, god, stir it, god, stir it, god, stir it, god. We pray god you'll bless him, god, with with the ability, god, to be able to heal. In jesus name, we, we pray god that you'll give him more discernment. That's how we stir up the gift, how we come to play with it.
Speaker 1:Today we came to apply pressure to the enemy's camp and we're going to apply pressure because there are going to be some more stirred up people at Chosen City Church. We're going to apply pressure because there are going to be more people that operate in their gifts. We have come to apply pressure because we got to be stirred up. God, stir up the gift in the room. I couldn't touch everybody, lord, but the Holy Spirit, you can touch everybody. I pray right now, in Jesus' name, that you will stir up the gift. Stir it, god. Stir it Now. If you're an individual that wants God to stir the gift that's in you, all I want you to do is open your hands as a posture of saying God, I'm open to you stirring up the gifts. I'm open to you stirring up the gifts, I'm open to what you're doing. God, stir up the gifts all around the room. God, stir up the gifts.
Speaker 1:We didn't come just for the ordinary. We came to apply pressure. We're going to apply pressure because we're going to operate in a way that we have never operated before. We're going to apply pressure because God is going to stir up the gift within us and we're going to be able to love like we've never loved before. We're going to apply pressure because God is going to stir up the gift within us and we're going to be able to love like we've never loved before. We're going to be unified like we've never been unified before. We're going to be able to serve the community like never before. We're going to be blessed in the city. We're going to be blessed in the field. We're going to be blessed when we come. We're going to be blessed when we go. You know why? Because the gift just got stirred. Stir it up, lord, stir up the gifts, stir it up God.
Speaker 1:I know some of y'all on this side I feel it in the Holy Ghost. You feel God stirring something in you, don't you? You feel God stirring something in you. Crazy part about what's happening right now is what happens next is up to you. Do y'all understand that?
Speaker 1:There were people who would hear Jesus or watch Jesus heal, would hear Jesus preach and there were people that would shout glory to God. And then there were people called Pharisees and Sadducees who would leave that encounter and say now, how can we kill him? I want to talk to somebody in the room right now and say keep coming to church being a skeptic if you want to. You're no different than the Pharisee or the Sadducee who heard from Jesus directly and just said I ain't buying what you're selling. But I want to talk to the people in the room that have an open heart and have an open mind. If you have an open heart and an open mind, god said I've been waiting on you. It ain't going to take no religious gymnastics. Right where you are, he's going to stir. He's been waiting on you. You know that he's been waiting on you to get to this posture where you say God, it's whatever, I'm ready. Now I want to try it again because I'm going to give you about 15, 20 seconds to preach to your own barrier. I'm going to give you about 15, 20 seconds because you got to be able to speak this word.
Speaker 1:Y'all preach that sermon to yourself. You give yourself three points and a poem and a big holler. You give yourself three percent and say stir it up. You just started talking. You just started saying God, stir it up. Y'all preach it to yourself. Give yourself 15 seconds. If you preach, it's got to be audible because we got to hear it. It's a proclamation. You got to preach stir it up because if the gift gets stirred, you can solve the problem. You ain't been able to solve the problem because the gift has been dormant, but the Lord has said I've come today to stir up some gifts and if the gift gets stirred, good God, almighty, you ain't got to worry about finances. You ain't got to worry about how you're going to do caregiving, because God will show you a divine strategy and it shall come to pass. Y'all got 15 seconds.
Speaker 1:Matter of fact, musicians, give them a little bit of something right there. They preaching to themselves. They preaching to themselves right now. They preaching to their own barrier, they preaching to their own soul. Give them something good, marcus. Now give them something good, chris. They getting happy. They Pentecostal coming out. They're getting happy. They're Baptist coming out. They're apostolic coming out. They're non-denomination coming out. The Holy Ghost is coming through them because they're talking to them own selves and the gift is being stirred. I see more gifts being developed right now in the Holy Ghost. I see it right now. I see it right now. I see it right now.
Speaker 1:Now, when God stirs you up, you got to unleash what God put in you. Did you hear what I said when he stirred up? It ain't good enough to stir it up and it stay on the inside. Then you is for an unleashing. You got to unleash what was stirred up today into your tonight. You got to unleash what was stirred up today into your Monday morning. You got to unleash what was stirred up today into your children. I need you to talk to yourself and say, when I come out of here, I'm going to unleash it. I'm going to put pressure on it until I get my joy back. I'm going to put pressure on it until it shifts. I wish I could unleash right there. Unleash it. Unleash it. It's stirred. Now unleash it. It's stirred Now, unleash it. God said. Third Now unleash it. God said in this, when we go home. We got to pursue. We got to be resilient. We got to have extraordinary faith. We got to sacrifice. We got to speak. We got to unleash what was stirred. Y'all almost unleashed. But I'm telling you, you want to break this barrier. You got to unleash what was stirred up within you.
Speaker 1:Every movement in this nation happened because there was something that stirred up on the inside of somebody and they said I can't take this anymore. Every movement, every civil rights activist, every activist, every, every, every pioneer, every breakthrough person. You know it started with a stirring on the inside, but the change didn't happen until it was unleashed. And I want to stir you on the inside so that you can unleash and there'll be a change, first in your life, first in your life, first in your life, first in your life, and then you're gonna go unleash it in the lives of your family members. You can unleash it in your husband and your wife. You can unleash it in your children. You can unleash it on your job. You can unleash your way God has you assigned in the community.
Speaker 1:But it starts with being stirred and then God says I need you to thank you, man of God. I need you to remember. Somebody say remember, we almost home now. He says this in John 15, verse 13. And we almost done. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man would lay down his life For his friends.
Speaker 1:God is saying that sometimes we have to remember the center of it all Because we get so caught up in Trying to figure things out and so caught up in trying to educate ourselves, which is very critical part of growing and developing. But what I'm saying is, men and women of God, the Lord said keep educating yourself, keep growing, keep developing, keep opening businesses, keep going, go for the doctorate, go for two of them if you can. But the Lord said we got to keep the main thing, the main thing that there is no greater love than a man that would lay down his life for the sins of a friend. What am I trying to say? He's saying that I need you to remember that how much God loves you and he did not bring you thus far just to leave you. He says he needs you to remember that there is no good thing that he is going to withhold from you. He says you need to remember that, especially when a barrier has yet to be broken and you're applying pressure, you need to remember that the barrier that you have been dealing with is now going to be a part of your testimony. That is not only going to be a blessing for you. It's going to help somebody else to break through.
Speaker 1:He says you need to remember that, even when it looks really ugly and it feels really lonely that my hand is on your life. He says you need to remember that the reason it did not kill you is because he is still up to something and your God has not completed what he has started. God has not completed what he has started and you need to remember what the Bible declares, which is that he that hath begun a good work in you has the authority and ability and shall see it through until completion. That's why you need to run on and see what the end is going to be. You need to run on and see what the end is going to be. You need to remember every mountain that God has already brought you over. You need to remember every trial he's already brought you through. You need to remember every blessing.
Speaker 1:That's why it's good sometimes to write down what God has done for you, because we get a case of selective amnesia. We often forget about the fact that God has always allowed you to break some barriers in your life, and if he allowed you to break them in last season, do you think this season is going to be any different? If he allowed you to overcome some stuff that killed other people last season, what makes you think God is going to leave you in the middle of the highway? You need to remember that your God is up to something. Men and women of God, we got to pursue it. We have to be resilient. We have to have an extraordinary faith. We have to sacrifice. We got to speak it. We got to unleash it. We got to remember. But the last thing, family, we gotta be out of here is that y'all we gotta learn how to exhort If we're gonna put pressure on the barrier, we gotta learn how to exhort. Now. This amazing music ministry is going to help me now because I'm going home and they know all about exhortation from the worship and arts perspective.
Speaker 1:But I'm here to tell you that exhortation is beyond what we do on Sunday morning. It is beyond Chris and Marcus finding the right key from a preacher from Alabama. Exhortation literally means that it is a strong call. It is a strong clarion urge call. It is a strong clarion urge. It is a mayday, a 9-1-1. Not to my friend, not to my mother, not to my father, not to the elders, but when I exhort, I am calling to the throne room saying it's me, saying it's me, it's me, oh Lord, standing in the need of a breakthrough. And when you learn how to exhort, that's how you put pressure on any barrier.
Speaker 1:It's amazing when I looked up the etymology of the word exhort and I went back to how it was used in Greek in the New Testament. It is the same word that we use. That's called paraclete. Now, for all the theologians in the room, they just got happy because they understand paraclete. You see, the Bible talks about when Jesus died and said before he died. He said I'm about to go back to my father. He said but I'm not going to leave you by yourself. He says I'm going to leave you with a comforter. And in the Greek that word comforter is paraclete. So in a nutshell, when I am exhorting I'm saying to God I have this barrier and I'm trying to break it. I have this barrier and I'm trying to break it. I have this barrier and I'm trying to apply pressure, but, god, I can't break this one by myself. So I need the paraclete, I need the comforter. The word literally means that he comes alongside with us and he partners with us in our destiny. He'll partner with you in your marriage. He'll partner with you in your business. He'll partner with you as you do ministry.
Speaker 1:But you just got to be able to open your mouth and exhort. You got to be able to open your mouth and decree and declare. You got to be able to say not my will, but thy will be done. Now, in the last two minutes that I got, I need to talk to at least one person, because all I need is one and the prophetic utterance will come to pass. I need at least one person. I don't mind if it's more than one, but God can do major work in a matter of number. If I could get just one person who stood on what God declared in this place that wants to break your barrier.
Speaker 1:I just heard the Lord say that your help has just shown up. I just heard the Lord say that your help has just arrived. And since your help just showed up because the throne room heard you cry, your help showed up Because God saw your extraordinary faith. Your help showed up Because you remain resilient in the fight. Your help showed up Because you have elected to pursue it as soon as you leave here. Your help showed up because you have elected to pursue it as soon as you leave here. Your help showed up because you are willing to sacrifice and deny yourself unto the Lord. Your help showed up because you are willing to speak it. Your help showed up because now it's time to unleash it.
Speaker 1:I wish I had at least one person, because God could do some major work in a minor number that don't mind exhorting and talking to that barrier. I need you to declare help me, lord, it's time to break this thing. Are y'all going to pray with me? Are you going to speak it like you mean it? Are you going to speak it like you mean it? Are you going to exhort like you mean it? And part of our exhortation is that we do it with expectation. I can't exhort without expectation. That's why my exhortation often goes into a praise break. That's why my exhortation takes me to a posture of worship, because I believe that my God is about to finish what he started. I believe that my God is about to break a barrier.
Speaker 1:I wish I had some people in the room I'm really just looking for just about one that don't mind exhorting and starting to exhort until you start to feel better. You ought to start to exhort until your feet get light. You ought to start to believe until your blood pressure goes down. You ought to start to believe until God shows you a vision. You ought to start to exhort until you feel a turnaround. You ought to start to praise until you feel a shift in the atmosphere. You ought to start to praise until your thoughts change. You ought to start to praise until you feel better. You ought to start to praise until your burdens get laid down.
Speaker 1:I wish I had one person that was unafraid to exhort to a barrier. I wish I had one person that was unafraid to look at a barrier and say I shall live and not die. I wish I had a witness in the room. I'm looking at you, barry. This thing here ain't going to kill me. I ain't going out like that. God is still up to something. I'm going to win in the end. That's why I'm going to run on and see what the end is going to be.
Speaker 1:I wish I had one person that didn't mind speaking y'all until we put pressure on the Barry Family. We got to put pressure. Somebody say pressure Put pressure on the barrier. Somebody say pressure Put pressure on the barrier. Somebody say pressure Put pressure on the barrier. Now, if you don't have a barrier, I praise God for you. But I need your help in here because through these next 30 seconds of worship we are about to put some pressure on the barrier. Will you help me? Would you help Pastor Waltz? I'm glad you may not have one, but I got several. Do you mind helping the pastor? Do you mind helping a neighbor to? Do you mind helping a neighbor To put some pressure on the barrier? And if we're going to put pressure on the barrier, we ought to give God a worship that makes God understand that.
Speaker 1:We believe that the barrier is broken before it even gets snapped. We believe that the barrier is broken before the barrier gets out of the way. I believe that I'm healed broken before the barrier gets out of the way. I believe that I'm healed before I get the MRI. I believe I got a job before I send in applications. Will you help us break some barriers? I feel something at an intercoctor. I feel something at an intercoctor. I feel something at an intercoctor.
Speaker 1:There's some people in the room that's going to help us break some barriers and I'm going to give you about 30 seconds and you're going to praise God and put pressure on the barrier. Give him a praise that's going to put a lot of pressure. Give God a praise that's going to put God on pressure. Give God a praise that's going to put pressure. Give God a praise that's going to put him pressure. God ain't looking for a golf club. We're looking for a praise that's going to heal somebody's test. We're looking for a praise that's going to fix somebody's mental health. We're looking for a praise that's going to fix somebody's mental health. We're looking for a praise that's going to minister to somebody's marriage. We're looking for a praise that's about to prepare you for your new next, because the Lord says I'm about to elevate you, but it's going to take some pressure for you to bust through, because the enemy don't want you to be elevated. The enemy wants to keep you right where you are. But somebody said the devil is a liar, because we have come to apply pressure and the pressure is going to break us and take us to the place where God will have us to be.
Speaker 1:I need y'all to apply pressure. I need y'all to apply pressure. I need y'all to apply pressure. I need y'all to apply pressure. I need y'all to apply pressure till it breaks. It'll break today if you apply the right pressure. Right, no music. Briefly, we're going home. Yeah, we're applying pressure. God gave us this gift of worship and praise and exhortation because it applies pressure. It applies pressure. We're applying pressure this morning. Y'all going to help us to apply some pressure or not? We're applying pressure this morning. I'm sorry I didn't come to church for ordinary. I didn't come to help you check the block. I can't apply pressure today. It's just too much on the line. God is trying to take y'all to higher heights, but we got to apply the pressure. We got to apply the pressure. Yeah, we got to apply pressure right now, in Jesus' name. Thank you, holy Ghost. Thank you, holy Ghost.
Speaker 1:Do y'all know that the word glory refers to God's presence being in the room? But have you ever looked at the etymology of the word glory? It literally means heaviness. Am I lying, minister Brian? It talks about the weight of God, and when we worship like this, what we are doing is we're putting weight on what has been burdening us, and I'm trying to get you to worship until his glory Look it up for yourself to the heaviness of God Lays on the barrier. And when the glory of the Lord lies on the barrier, the barrier ain't got no choice but to break. But it happens in our worship, it happens in our worship, it happens in our worship, it happens in our worship, it happens in our worship, it happens in our worship, it happens in our worship, it happens in our worship, it happens in our worship, it happens in our worship. Yeah, we're putting weight on the barrier today. We're putting weight on the barrier today. We're putting weight on the barrier today. The glory is about to snap. This day, the glory is about to snap. This day. The glory, the glory, the glory, the glory. This day, the glory, the glory, the glory, the glory. The heaviness, the weight, the weight of God's glory is leaning on the barrier right now. The weight of the glory is on the barrier right now. The weight of the glory is on the barrier. We breaking barriers today. We breaking barriers today. We breaking barriers today. We're breaking barriers today. We're breaking barriers today.
Speaker 1:Hallelujah, family, the Lord said to me to do it like this today. Y'all keep lifting up a sound. We're going to do it like this today. If there's a man or woman of God and the Holy Spirit is speaking to you and you need some help breaking the barrier because you don't have a church home, pastor Chris, one of the elders coming, they're coming right now. And you need some help breaking the barrier because you don't have a church home, pastor Chris, one of the elders coming, they're coming right now. They're going to stand right here. They're going to minister to you Today. I'm not going to spend a lot of time there, because the way the Spirit of God is moving, you know if he's talking to you. They're standing right here. They're going to meet you right where you are.
Speaker 1:Hallelujah, hallelujah, if God is speaking to you. Hallelujah, glory to God. God bless you, woman of God. Glory to God, glory to God. If the Spirit is speaking to you today and you want to break a barrier and you want the weight of God's glory to saturate you in 2025, just give him a yes. They're walking right now. They're walking right now. You want the weight of God's glory in your life, for your family, for your home. You don't have a church home. Maybe you need to rededicate your life.
Speaker 1:We have 11 people getting baptized at 10 o'clock. Glory to God, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, and baby, for somebody in this room today. You didn't think that today was going to be your day to get baptized, but the Spirit of God speaks to you. We're baptized, you at the next service In Jesus' name. We just want you to be connected. We want you to be committed. We want you to have everything that God has for you. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.
Speaker 1:God is moving all day. It's pressure. Today, it's pressure, it's pressure. It's pressure all day, all day. Somebody say it's pressure all day, all day, the Lord is saying even when you leave here, I know you got stuff you got to do, but if you apply pressure all day, I promise you in your prayer, in your worship don't just leave here, just go and run back to the status quo, don't run back to busyness. When you leave here this morning, god is saying apply pressure all day, even if the Lord leads some of you to come back, you know, never go to Jesus, whatever God's. I'm not telling you got to do that. I'm saying what you have to do is apply pressure all day in Jesus' name, I want to pray over you and pray over your family, and it will be dismissed.
Speaker 1:Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you for what you've done in this place today, god. I thank you for the pressure that you've applied. God, we just started today and I thank you for what you've done in this 8 o'clock worship, god. I pray, god, that we'll apply pressure all day long In Jesus' name. God, I come by faith. I'm thanking you that. I know somebody's barrier was broken today. I know that happened in Jesus name. I know it happened. I thank you for the gift that was third. Now, father, god, as we prepare to leave this place, but never your presence be careful, oh Lord, to give your name all the glory. Be careful to give your name all the glory. Be careful to give your name all the honor. Be careful to give your name all the praise. Of course, in the powerful name of Jesus we pray. Let the people of God say amen, amen, amen. Y'all celebrate God on our way out today. To God be the glory, hallelujah.
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