“Refuse to Pretend” with Jentezen Franklin

the following program is sponsored by

friends and partners of Kingdom

collection coming up on Kingdom

connection we’re not to be a bunch of

fakie pretenders don’t ever mention

Jesus all week long or open a Bible or

spend any time in prayer but then come

to church and pretend that’s Leah but

let me tell you where rachel is it’s

when you’re with him when you love him

when you’re into this book when you’re

spending time in prayer it’s not a

pretending thing

it’s a contending for the faith that God

is looking for let Jesus have his way in

your life refused to pretend now on

Kingdom connection

I want to speak today on refuse to

pretend refuse to pretend the Bible said

that Jacob loved Rachel he worked seven

years to get to marry this girl and the

scripture said it seemed unto him but a

few days for the love that he had for

her I mean that’s love when you can work

seven years for the girl that you’re in

love with and it felt like it was just a

few days to him

because his love was so great the

sacrifice was almost insignificant of

seven years of his life our experience

with God should be one of continual

ongoing love when you’re in love with

God whatever you have to do for God is

but a small thing because you love him

sometimes we get to thinking that we’re

sacrificing but if you really love God

it’s a it becomes just a small thing he

said it was like when you he was so in

love with Rachel that serving seven

years was like a small few days of his

life the only way to be effective for

God is to fall in love with God then you

don’t see the sacrifices because you

love him so much we ought to give our

ties and not see it as a sacrifice but

we do it cause we love him

we ought to serve in the church and not

see it as some big sacrifice that we

showed up today and we came to church

but we should see it as because I love

him this is just a small thing for me to

get up and come serve and worship and

work and build the kingdom of God and

when you really love him it’s a small

thing to the service and the sacrifice

too fast to pray to read the Bible I

love to pray I love to read the Bible I

love to come to church I love to preach

I have always loved it

and I I still love it today because when

you love God then the sacrifices are not

the big deal it’s your love and it’s

about a small thing to work for God to

give to God to do all that I can for God

when you really love God like you ought

to love him the problem with a lot of

people who don’t get it and they don’t

ever sacrifice under God is they don’t

love God if you don’t if you don’t

sacrifice much then it’s because you

don’t love him because when you love him

your sacrifice is but a small thing

because he’s so good and I love him so

much

that’s how Jacob was something got ahold

of Jacob when he saw Rachel I mean that

little fat angel with those wings called

Cupid took his bow and Arum and he made

a direct hit into the heart of Jacob he

was walking around starry-eyed hearing

birds chirping dizzy in his head head

over heels floating on air he was in

love some of you don’t know what I’m

talking about I’m listening to air

supply on his iPod this man had it bad

he had it bad Rachel in this story

represents the ultimate experience the

pursued dream the the desired vision all

that is sought after in our heart that

first love that experience with Jesus

Christ it represents that desire dream

that thing that that that made your

heart pity patty and made you you hear

the birds chirp and feel alive that’s

what it represents the fulfilled vision

leah is less there are two women in the

story leah the older sister and then

there’s Rachael who the Bible said was

beautifully

is less but Rachel Rachel is best Leah

is religion but rachel is relationship

Leah is survival just living with

someone but rachel is revival leah was

the one who was shoved on Jacob and

tricked and put in her bed one night

when he partied at his wedding and and

the dad swapped the women out and and

and he woke up the next day to a

surprise it wasn’t Rachel it was Leah

she was unwanted she was undeserved and

undesired the question that I have for

you today is will you live with Leah the

less or will you live and believe for

Rachel the best your first love

Laban asked Jacob tell me what your

wages will be name your payday tell me

what you want it what you want to be

paid see your won’t with God your walk

in your life and your family and your

marriage it will ultimately be what you

want it to be you can settle for a Leah

or you can have the ultimate that God

has for you which is Rachel and the

problem is we pretend that Leah is

Rachel and just get settled and the

enemy switches us out unless you love

Rachel enough that you decide you will

not settle for living with Leah refuse

to pretend refused refused to become

religious something happened to Jacob

when the Sun came up the Bible said that

he woke up he woke up to the fact that

he had been cheated he had been

shortchanged instead of being with

Rachel all he had was Leah she was not

the one that he loved

and what you’ve settled for now is not

what you were originally in love with

and if you don’t watch it you just

settle in your walk with God you just

settle in your marriage you just settle

in your life in your dream you just

settle because it’s kind of hard and it

gets difficult and you know that least I

know what no that is not God’s will for

us to live with Leah when we love Rachel

I’m going to tell you why it’s so easy

to settle for Leah because Leah is

cheaper than Rachel but rachel is worth

the price if you want Rachel mr. Jacob

it’ll cost you seven more years than you

had to pay for Leah so you had to pay

seven years and I fooled you and you

could settle here because Leah is

cheaper I’m saying to you that it’s

people I hear it all the time it’s too

much trouble to reach from my dream it’s

too much trouble to go for a deep

passionate relationship with God is too

much trouble to have a great marriage

and hold your family together but I’m

telling you it may be more that you have

to do but God says don’t settle for the

cheaper if you will set your own wages

you decide notice that God doesn’t

decide what kind of marriage you’re

going to have you do God doesn’t decide

what kind of relationship you’re going

to have with him you do God doesn’t

decide whether you’re going to get free

from drugs and alcoholism and finally

become the person that God said you

could be no he doesn’t decide it you do

and you can settle with Leah you can

settle in mediocrity you can settle in

lukewarmness or you can say no this is

not Rachel I don’t love you I know

there’s something greater I need you to

give God a praise right there if you

know I’m preaching the truth refused to

say

refused to settle it’s like the cartoon

of the guy the little kid who took his

bow and arrow out and he was target

practicing and here’s how he would

practice and this is how some people are

he would take his bow and arrow and

shoot it into the wall and then he’d

walk over with a magic marker and draw a

big circle around wherever the arrow

landed and make wherever the arrow hit

his bull’s eye and then he would shoot

it again and so every it’s kind of hard

to miss when you got that kind of

attitude I’m telling you that if you

don’t have a target you don’t know how

you’re doing if you don’t have something

you’re aiming at you don’t know where

you’re going you don’t know how close

you are or how far off you are and we

don’t have when we don’t have nothing to

shoot for and nothing to aim for and

nothing to motivate us then we won’t

ever ever hit the bull’s eye we all need

something to go for we all need

something to reach for to go after we

all need something on the wall with the

bullseye so that we don’t go around in

life if you’re not careful you just draw

the circle wherever you are and say this

is it but this is not it it’s a great

great danger I’m afraid too many of us

have just thrown the target around right

where we are when God says this is not

Rachel

I’ve got greater things for you I’m a

bigger God than you think I am tell you

I refuse to settle for Lea as a church

when I know God has a Rachel I’m not

going to take cross eyed Lea when I can

have beautiful gorgeous Rachel and folks

do you hear me we’re headed somewhere

and we’re not we’re not going to pretend

maybe maybe I’m the only one that feels

this way but I’m telling you if you’ve

ever had that first love strike your

heart you and you fall into a little

mediocre kind of

along with Leah religion just do in

church it is a miserable place I’m not

satisfied with Leah I want Rachel I want

revival I want the Holy Spirit moving I

want God in our families I want God in

our lives I want him to be the center of

everything take a moment and give God a

praise

if you refuse to pretend come on to stir

yourself up I’m not going to pretend I’m

gonna contend see the great danger that

Jacob had was instead of facing reality

he could have pretended that leah was

Rachel but the Bible said we’re not to

be pretenders were to be contenders Jude

chapter one said we are to contend for

the faith that was once given to us

we’re not to pretend that we have the

power of the Spirit and we’re Christians

and we have a wonderful marriage and

we’re all hi hello hi how are you we’re

not to be a bunch of fakie pretenders

that don’t ever mention Jesus all week

long or open a Bible or spend any time

in prayer but then come to church and

pretend that’s Leah but let me tell you

where rachel is

it’s when you’re with him when you love

him when you’re into this book when

you’re spending time in prayer it’s not

a pretending thing it’s a contending for

the faith that God is looking for I’m

telling you that spirit of Leah will get

on you and the enemy will do a smooth

switch it’s happened two marriages and

it’s happened to people spiritually

we’re smooth switch intoxicated with the

world while we’re intoxicated with this

that and the other the enemy robs our

soul

our first love and gives us a substitute

that does not satisfy that does not

fulfill that leaves us empty and cold

and dry a lot of folks are pretending

they’ll look you in the face and say

nothing’s changed I still love the Lord

but I’ll remember revivals I remember

church services or the Holy Spirit and

you do has come upon me tears would flow

at intimacy with Jesus we can become a

bunch of pretenders folks right here on

the brink of the coming of the Lord we

can become a bunch of pretenders who are

intoxicated with the world and the enemy

switched us out we’ve lost our first

love when I when I started preaching I

loved Jesus with all of my heart I love

this church with all of my heart I love

the Word of God and the work of God with

all my heart

while I was on my sickbed the Holy

Spirit began to whisper to me don’t you

settle for Leah you know too much you’ve

experienced too much you felt too much

and people will say it’s fine

everything’s great the building’s packed

out people are coming from everywhere

look at the blessings look at the

blessings I don’t care about any of that

yes that’s messed up Leah you’ve ever

been in one good Holy Ghost service with

a power of God came on you and lifted

every burden and you felt suddenly the

awesome holy presence of God unless

you’ve experienced that you don’t know

what I’m talking about and I have come

too far to become a pretender and I

don’t care what the religious world

thinks about me I could care less I want

a church that is in love with Jesus that

breeze and eats and leaves Jesus not

just on Sunday but I’m talking about

every day of our life we honor healed

self-deception is very real

there’s the children’s story that is

told of the emperor who paid great wages

to the con artists designer to make him

the most beautiful robe in this con

artists made an imaginary robe for the

king that he said quote only the wise

and the noble can see it and so when he

brought it in it was nothing but he said

here it is king and the king was so full

of ego and pride that he looked at it

and he said oh it’s beautiful

then he called in all of the people

around him and asked them what do you

think about it and the con artist is

standing there saying only the wise can

see it and the noble they all agreed

it’s incredible we’ve never seen

anything like it so there was a parade

and all the King put on

the only clothes he had on was that robe

and some little kid who wasn’t into

politics when trying to get a position

looked up and started laughing and said

ha ha

he hasn’t got anything on you hear me

self-deception I’m closing but we hear a

lot about compromise and we only think

of compromise in terms of you know our

standards of compromising our standards

and our convictions what about

compromising your dreams what about

compromising happy godly homes for the

sick trade out that the 21st century

gives us homes where there’s anger and

violence addiction drunkenness and

vulgarity and filth divorce hatred and

unforgiveness and bitterness all in a

family what about compromising that that

is not the Rachael family that God has

for me for you that we compromise what

about compromising our children what

about compromising our personal revival

with God refuse to pretend because

whatever you’re happy and content with

you will have so if you’re happy and

content with a mediocre walk with God

come into church on Sunday and you’re

not one bit different and you’ll walk

right out of here and spew the Bible

said we can’t bless God with our words

and turn around and curse me in if

you’re content

with that then that’s what you will have

whatever you’re happy and content with

you will have but if inside of you

something says I yearn for what

revelation three said return to your

first love I would that you were cold or

you were hot but if you’re lukewarm I’ll

spew you out of my mouth return to your

first love are you going to be a

pretender or a contender I will fight

for the dream God has given me I will

fight for my first love because I love

Jesus I will fight for my family in my

marriage I refuse to be a pretender God

make us contenders

I believe today’s program is speaking to

your heart this message of not settling

of contending for revival contending for

the dream that God has put in your heart

you can’t settle you have to stay after

you have to not pretend but contend for

the faith and for the miracle that God

has for your life

I believe somebody’s contending right

now I believe somebody saying Lord I

want what you what you’ve placed in my

heart and I’ve been settling and I’m

ready for a new level father I pray

right now for people watching this

telecast I pray for those suffering in

their bodies sick that you would heal

them those that are lonely discouraged

going through a tough season I pray for

your hand to blessing and help in the

time of trouble and if you don’t know

Jesus Christ as your Savior invite them

in say Lord come into my heart today in

Jesus name just pray that prayer right

where you are

all all it takes is that heart that’s

open and Jesus will come and then let us

know what’s happening in your life call

or go online and tell us what the Lord

has done for you today we love to hear

from you and our closing moments

together I want to say to all of the

people in Oklahoma and all of the people

who are suffering we’ve got so many

partners and friends and we know

ministries there that our heart and our

prayer is with you and we as a ministry

a rallying right now as a matter of fact

we already have people there we’re

partnering with a wonderful ministry

Christian ministry called God’s pit crew

we’re sending five truckloads of food

and supplies diapers all kinds of things

that will help the people get through

this crisis time they’ve got chainsaws

they’ve got front loaders these are five

18-wheeler trucks that we’ve already

sponsored to go in because of your

support in your help

number one we need to be praying for the

people in Oklahoma let’s pray for them

let’s pray for those devastated and

grieving let’s pray for those who’ve

lost everything and then number two

let’s put let’s put love in action

let’s uh let’s get behind wonderful

ministries like we’re partnering with

with God’s pit crew and let’s let people

know you know that we love them in a

tangible way and so that’s why we’ve

already given the resources to send five

truckloads of food and supplies in and

I’m asking you today to number one help

us pray and pray for us as a ministry

that we can be effective in what we’re

trying to do a number two consider what

you can do financially to help you know

make these trucks save and restore lives

so today we thank you for that

consider that go online by the way and

see more you can learn more about what

we’re doing and we know that you know

these are ministries that are making a

difference and they will do what they

say right there and help people restore

their lives thank you pray for us we’re

praying for you we’ll see you next time

right here on Kingdom connection

we each have an assignment a unique role

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coming to the grammarian in atlanta june

27th through the 29th

before conference with jinsan Franklin

bill Dooley

rich Wilkerson jr. Karl winds

Reggie dabs and music from Lecrae

Hillsong London

can Brewster

Israel hope

and the free Chapel bed

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we are daughters of the King and our

dreams are more than wishful thinking

they are inspired and a gift from God as

daughters of the king our dreams are not

meant to be buried join Charisse

Franklin and the ladies of divine for

royal dreams a Women’s Conference June

6th through the 8th at free Chapel

Orange County this amazing three-day

conference will strengthen your faith

encourage you to dream again and

discover all that God has placed in you

as a daughter of the king

awaken your royal dreams with appointed

messages from special guests

Jetson Franklin Christine Caine

Priscilla Shire and Beth Redman royal

dreams tickets and info available online

now at divine conference dot o RG

register today this program has been

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for more information on the ministry and

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you