f you’d like to know more about our ministry please visit us at http://transformchurch.us. And if you have a testimony of the amazing things that God is doing in your life through our ministry, please email it to [email protected].
well today I’m so excited that you’re in
the building you picked a good day to
come to church um many of you know that
me and pastor Natalie just got back like
yesterday or the day before I don’t even
know what day it is y’all because we’ve
been traveling internationally last
Sunday we had the amazing opportunity to
go and represent transformation Church
in London and in Paris and thank you
guys so much for praying for us um the
reason why this is a big deal is cuz
this is the first time that I’ve been
International ministering since I became
the pastor of transformation Church and
we’ve been intentional not to go out
because we want to build this house but
y’all when I tell you that what we do
right here in this converted grocery
store it’s changing the world
y’all I can’t even begin to tell you all
the stories but I say it all the time
like people are getting changed all over
the world I met him like I met people
that there’s no way they could have
found out about what we’re doing except
God allowed them to cross paths and I
know I can keep saying it but I want to
just share a testimony with you of a
young lady that I met and we were able
to capture what transformation Church is
doing and has done in our life I want
you to check this out okay tell me again
what you just came up to okay I got
saved at TV I’m a member of
transformation a share box okay how tell
me why so back in July last year I kind
of felt that God was really putting me
back to him but I was wrestling with
whether or not I wanted to come back and
someone sent either linked to the
relationship cover series just out of
the blue and I watched it and I was like
this is amazing and then went back and
literally what I watched all the series
you’ve done from 2016 so now all of them
work and I can’t remember which I think
it was gross like a flood yeah I was
watching it and at that point I was just
like yes
is a comeback so I gave my life to
Christ and became a member of
transamination I’ve been fighting with
you guys as I watched the money series a
couple other one thing is like I’m not
even it’s not even like I’m thanking you
I’m thinking the church what they’ve
done yeah for people’s generosity in
their obedience because it was in the
way that people are willing to give that
you guys had the ability to get the
cameras to them that’s post your stuff
online for me to see it here is just him
to say thank you to you guys as a church
for what you’ve done not usurp our
service you’re only preaching what the
Lord is he’s using you to get to people
and he usually to get to me and it’s
it’s really changed my life and I really
didn’t think I was going to get this
opportunity to come to thank you and
I’ve been sitting upstairs all night
like praying to God like please just let
me come and speak to him I just need to
say thank you oh if that don’t get you
excited I don’t know you have the wrong
church man we are making an impact
around the world and I want to say thank
you cuz every time you serve every time
you give every time you invite your
you’re allowing what we do here to go to
somebody else and this is just the
beginning and so I’m so excited about it
and so today I want to let everybody
know that usually in what we do
I’m God’s always speaking something
fresh to me and one of the things that
we made a decision to do when we started
this church is that we are going to
acknowledge the calendar like Mother’s
Day Christmas Father’s Day all of the
different holidays we’re gonna
acknowledge it but I never would base my
preaching on what the holiday was
because God may not be speaking about
what the holiday is and and I know a lot
of people do that so today’s message
ain’t a Mother’s Day message but it’s a
message from God and I promise you when
you get a message from God it’ll be a
Mother’s Day message to father day
Dustin’s a cousin stay message and and
so do you I want to hear from God today
okay so so I want to do that and we’re
gonna honor
you all the mothers as you leave we have
something for you and we’re thanking God
that you’re here today I’m about to give
you everything I got a little got a
little international swag on me this
morning cuz I’m jet-lagged and I don’t
know what day it is but um we’re gonna
preach today we are starting part three
of a series that we’re calling say it
with me Mart and it’s because we really
do believe that you’re marked by God
that God has marked you for purpose he’s
marked you for global impact he’s marked
you to do something that nobody in your
family has ever been able to do and
there is a unique DNA that God place on
the inside of you that if you surrender
to this purpose he has for your life
that he’s gonna do something that only
he could get the glory for and only it
can come through you if it doesn’t come
through you it’s missing in the earth
and even as I say that a lot of people
have been so downtrodden by their own
thoughts and by what people have told
them that it’s hard for you to believe
that you’re that special to God that he
would literally tell everybody else he
created no no this is for them to do and
today I came to encourage you that you
are marked by God that whatever the lies
have been that have kept you paralyzed
in the same place are doing the same
things going to the same empty whales
today and do the rest of this series I’m
telling you I want to revive your faith
I don’t care if you don’t get it today
all I’m asking you to do is keep coming
back and keep listening because faith
comes by hearing and hearing the Word of
God and so today I just want to go a
little deeper in this series because the
first two weeks some of y’all are
familiar with the concept of marked
where we’re we’re we’re talking about
the life in the leadership of David and
in the first two weeks of this series we
really ain’t talked about David at all
like something else like I thought this
is gonna be encouraging I thought this
was gonna be good but the first week I
had to come tell you like yo David
wasn’t the first person that God tried
to mark he tried to do it through Saul
but Saul whited himself out of the
purpose that God wanted him to be in and
so we made a decision as a church that
we would not forfeit the plan of God for
our life we would not do that because we
had the
view of ourselves because we were
comparing our callings to other people
that we were walking in partial
obedience or that we had pride we said
no no we’re gonna do everything that God
called us to do and then last week
pastor Charles came in here with a
samurai if you didn’t hear last week’s
message he challenged all of us and he
said did you check the price and that
following God and being marked comes
with the price it means that you’re
going to have a cost because the symbol
of our Christian faith is not a crown
it’s a cross and that means everybody is
gonna have to check it’s gonna cost you
your planes it’s gonna cost you your
patterns and it’s gonna cost you some of
your pleasures and so the reason that
we’re doing that and coming that kind of
hard as we start cuz everybody likes to
scream I’m marked I’m called by God but
as soon as opposition comes a lot of
people check out of this line like a lot
of people a lot of you sitting here
aren’t doing what God’s called you to do
cuz it got tough let’s be honest you go
to a job every week you hate and you
tell everybody all week you hate it but
yet you’re still in a place where you
know that there’s more inside of you but
you have stopped because you don’t want
to go through the look at this cuss word
process see anything in God anything
that’s great it has a process come on
some of y’all won’t even say it but I’m
telling you to get to the palace or the
promise that God has called you to be
you will have to go through a say it
with me process and you know in this
generation we don’t like processes we
want it we want it now we want to see it
we want to click it and it better be
here in two days Amazon Prime you hear
what I’m saying where’s the Amazon
purpose Prime like how can I get all
that God has for me in two days or less
now you may you may be like that’s funny
guys I’m like but that’s how we act we
stay faithful to what God told us to do
for a week
my god didn’t come through
you’ve been crazy for 10 years and you
want him to turn all of that over in one
week and and this is this is where I’m
telling everybody the reason that I’m
doing this because I do believe as your
pastor that you’re marked by God but
you’re gonna have to go through the
process and so my goal is to help you
walk through the process and not give up
when you get hit because hips are coming
oh oh y’all didn’t know the Bible
doesn’t promise a hitless Christian life
it as a matter of fact it says in this
world you’re gonna have trouble but take
heart because I’ve already overcome the
world it reminds me of this story like
my mom um today’s Mother’s Day started
to tell a funny story with my mom in it
uh my mother is a woman of Prayer a
woman of intercession a woman of
prophecy all these deep Christian words
and usually she’s very mild-mannered and
let’s pray about this let’s hold hands
I’m one of five sons and so meeting my
older brother Gabriel we’re in an
argument one day and my mom just said
forget it
y’all gonna fight today I said has the
Lord finally spoken to my mother for the
first time and she was like y’all come
down to my room so we came down to our
room and we had just went to the Tulsa
State Fair and that it had these
American boxing gloves it was like they
had a whole bunch of padding on this
side and then no padding they were very
cheaply made on this side and so we both
put on these gloves and she said now you
guys are gonna fight and you’re gonna do
body shots and I’m a little more
athletic than my brother day and so I
was like this is every little brothers
dream mom’s sitting here I get to whip
my big brother and I don’t get whooped
like it was it was the best thing ever
so she says fight and we go in and light
him up and then she calls for a break
and when she calls for a break I’m
talking smack and I was just like what
you won’t bro what she won’t big bro and
all this other stuff and then she says
go again and I vaguely remember
they please it gets foggy at this part
of the story that my brother he turned
his hand over on the part where there
was no cushion and he stepped back like
this and all I remember is he said ah
and my head went this way and my body
went with it and I sailed to the ground
like I got knocked down I jumped I was
crying I was on you are supposed to be
hidden in the head and the Holy Spirit
brought it back to my memory when I was
prepared for this message he said
Michael the reason you got knocked out
is because there’s no hit like the one
you don’t see coming and so I wasn’t
guarding my head because I didn’t think
we were playing for the head but the
enemy has been coming after some of
y’all’s head he’s been coming after your
children you thought this was body shots
you thought this was gonna be something
good and you haven’t been protecting and
the reason why some of you have been
knocked out of your purpose not thought
of having your joy knocked out of being
who God’s created you to be it’s cuz you
got hit and you didn’t see the hit
coming and there are too many
defenseless Christians who are fighting
this real war without their hands up but
today I’m telling you it’s time for some
of us in this LARC message you gonna put
your hands up today you’re not gonna be
fought with your hands behind your back
but you are marked and this is one of
the things that I learned after I got
knocked down is that once you stand
there and you don’t see the punch coming
you stand and take the full blow of it
but when you know it’s coming and you
might get hit they say you’re supposed
to roll with the punches that means even
if I do get hit I’m gonna see it coming
and I’m gonna start moving with it so
the impact doesn’t have the opportunity
to knock me out and so today in this
series I’m telling some of you you’re
about to get your defence back you’re
about to put your hands up and you say
enemy you not gonna take my family
let’s fight your
gonna take my purpose I’m not gonna live
insecure the rest of my life I’m not
gonna be in this broke position for the
rest of my life I’ll put my hands up and
see some of you have been so beat up you
can’t even get excited about it so much
hurt has come to you but today I’m
telling you you’re marked by God and
this is where I want you to see cuz your
purpose will end you up in a palace one
day you will reach wherever God and the
palaces wherever God’s greatest and best
is for you okay so that can be a single
mother in a household raising your kids
and get them all through college that
can be or it can be the CEO of a company
I don’t care where it is but God said I
have a purpose for you but there will be
a process and so today I want to show
you through this message and a few
others that that you have to go through
the process and what to expect when
you’re marked
David is marked right here and I want
you to turn the 1st samuel chapter 16
because because what ends up happening
is saul has disqualified himself Saul
has wydad himself out he’s still in
power but he’s no longer than one and
it’s crazy because samuel the prophet of
god he was crying over is that a time
saw was the one and look what God said
he said stop crying over what I’m doing
with stop crying over that I’m anointing
somebody else I want you to get up and
go to Bethlehem because I’m anoint
somebody as the new king of Israel at
Jesse’s house this is like a side note
some of y’all need to stop crying over
what God’s done with some of y’all are
crying over relationships and jobs and
opportunities and I said I have moved on
my glory has lifted there get up this
was a man of God a man that heard from
God that means there can even be people
and spiritual authority that are still
wanting it to have happened one way and
God says don’t waste your time there I’m
not there no more I’m on to the next one
and he said I want you to go to Tibet
him and I want you to be able to anoint
one of Jesse’s sons and this is where we
picked this story up verse 6 it says
when they arrived Samuel took one look
at
and thought surely this is the Lord’s
anointed but the Lord said to Samuel
don’t judge by his appearance or his
height for I have rejected him the Lord
doesn’t see things the way y’all see him
people judge the appearance outward
appearance but the Lord looks at the
heart
isn’t it funny that this man of God
looked at him the first person is like
he’s it but God said I’m you’re judging
the wrong thing this is why so many of
us were spending so much time on on how
we look to people and God singing that’s
not what’s qualifying you for me it
keeps passing you over because you’re
not passing the heart test you’re
getting all these hearts on Instagram
but you not got my heart yet you want
somebody to like what you’re posting but
I don’t like what I hear you saying cuz
out of your mouth out of the abundance
of the heart the mouth I can tell where
your heart is by what you say and God’s
saying you’re looking at the wrong stuff
I’m looking at your everybody say it
hard and that’s why many of us need to
spend more time with heart work than
anything else it’s crazy to me that they
put you through more training to get a
driver’s license than they do to get
married you don’t even have to read a
book to be married but it affects your
entire life but they don’t want you
behind the wheel because potentially you
could kill somebody or destroy their
life but look what marriages do and what
we’re doing is raising kids in these
environments because we’re not working
on the heart first and God is saying
please do not be fooled I am a God of
heart before anything else and this is
what he’s telling Samuel he said then
Jesse told his other son a better dad he
said step up boy come on you gonna be
the King boy but Samuel said this is not
the one the Lord has chosen next just
see Jesse said shimmy or get up there do
you like your daddy boy come on we need
somebody to be the king he said neither
is this the one the Lord has chosen
in the same way all seven of gypsy Sons
were presented to Samuel but Samuel said
to Jessie the Lord has not chosen any of
these then Samuel asked are these all
the sons you have like like I want you
to I want you to see that David’s about
to be introduced but David was not even
invited to the party but they were
looking for him
some of y’all because you’re a marked
you you weren’t even you’re not even in
the board room that makes decisions
they’re not even they don’t even know
that they need you yet but David has
stopped the entire procession because he
wasn’t in the room yet I came to tell
somebody who feels like you’ve been left
out that everything is stopped
cuz you haven’t shown up yet there are
some situations that you’ve been trying
to get yourself in the room for and God
said the room is stopped until you get
there and this is what happened he said
well they’re still the youngest now this
is his father talking and his father is
describing him by his condition not even
calling him by his name isn’t it crazy
that some of the people who are the
closest to us and that are supposed to
love us the most they describe us by
what we’ve done
not not who we are to become he said
well there is the youngest and he’s out
there in the fields watching the sheep
and the goats he just keeps going
through these same cycles he just keeps
but look what happens he says sit for
him at once
Samuel said we will not sit down until
he arrives now this is one of those
crazy things because I was raised with
five brothers and their seven brothers
sitting here and that means we can’t eat
until he gets here Oh God we all mad do
you understand this is where some people
are gonna be frustrated because they
cannot move forward until you show up
you need to hear me say this as clear as
I can you are the linchpin to some
things moving forward this is why you
cannot negate what God has called you to
do in slow play it but it’s why you
can’t rush it either because God’s
divinely setting up a situation where
when you walk in everything is going to
start to move look what happens it says
so Jesse sit for him he was dark
handsome with the beautiful eyes get the
picture
so David stood there among his brothers
and Samuel took the flask of oil and he
brought that he brought any anointed
David with oil and the Spirit of the
Lord came powerfully upon David from
that day on and Samuel returned back
home if you are marked I want you to
write this down
this is where we’re gonna camp out today
you’re gonna be approved in private if
you’re marked
David was marked to be the next king of
Israel but it didn’t happen in the City
Square it didn’t happen in a social
place it did not happen even in front of
all his friends it happened in a room
full of people who didn’t even invite
him to the party called his family and
he was approved in private some of you
need to hear this right now because if
you’re marked God is not going to sound
an alarm saying darn tanana here is the
next whatever he’s gonna speak to you in
a steel small voice and said I’m gonna
make you the one who’s gonna change your
family and you’re gonna be blessed to be
a blessing and you’re going to allow
forgiveness to run free in that family
and you’re going to be able to give all
your family jobs should i text them god
no because he’s approving you in private
and this is hard for us today because in
this generation we want everybody to
know what God is doing in our life but
it’s very hard to be in this social
media age in this age where we’re all
trying to prove everything to each other
you cannot Instagram integrity out here
trying to live saved and be pure
you can’t Facebook faithfulness you just
have to show up and do it and that’s why
God is saying to us he said I’ve called
you I’ve marked you and nobody’s gonna
know I’ve approved you in private and
this is where we have to get insulated
where we do not let the enemy steal what
God has said to us because everybody’s
not affirming it why do I need man’s
approval when God’s already for me and
I’m just trying to tell you because this
is a hit that knocks a lot of people out
that when everybody’s not approving them
like and when they’re passed over and
everybody skipping them for the party
they’re like wolf god I thought you
called me said I did why are you waiting
for somebody who doesn’t know their
purpose to affirm your purpose
I marked you and I proved you in private
and this is the thing about it a lot of
our businesses are an infant stage right
now a lot of our marriages are an infant
stage a lot of our the dreams that God
has placed in us are an infant stage and
the reason that God has it in seed form
it’s because a seed always goes into the
dirt into a dark place intentionally
because the easiest way to kill an
infant is to kill it when it’s small the
easiest way to kill your dreams and your
purpose is to kill it when it’s a little
let me let me bring it to you like this
when they tried to kill Jesus when when
the king at the time found out that
there was gonna be a messiah born and he
was gonna be king What did he say he
said kill every son under the age of two
because it’s easier to kill a king when
it’s a kid and many of you are out here
trying to show everybody what God is
doing and he said that’s the easiest
time for somebody to speak death into it
when it hasn’t barely lived you think
you gonna do that who’s gonna fun that
Paul’s gonna close you can’t even sing
you can’t even this and people start
speaking death into the thing that God
says you better protect that because
it’s small right now but one day when it
grows fully mature that thing’s gonna
touch the entire world it David was in a
place where he was approved
in private and many of you are
frustrated about the season your hand
but you’re missing what God’s trying to
do which you are complaining about where
you’re at at your job and how many
networking connections you have and
where your financial situation is you’re
missing a gift that God’s trying to give
you God’s trying to give you the gift or
of the opportunity of obscurity he’s
giving you the opportunity of obscurity
there’s things you can do when everybody
doesn’t know you there’s things you can
develop when you only got 14 Instagram
followers there’s things that you can
develop when everybody’s not looking to
you for marriage advice you’re trying to
be the counselor right now but you need
to get talked because one day you’ll be
the counselor but there’s some things
right now that you need to develop in
obscurity and most of us are trying to
get to where God has us right now that
we are negating the opportunity for
obscurity can I tell you where David
went right after he was anointed king of
Israel he went back to the field with
the sheep and the goats and the poop and
he was humble enough to after he knew he
was marked he’ll go back to the same job
uh-huh cuz some of y’all gonna wake up
tomorrow and be like I’m tired of his
sheep stuff and-and-and-and and you’re
gonna go to a job and God’s saying can I
mark you and send you back into the
place that you were in to be a
difference maker there that you would
represent me at that job at that place
at that and some of y’all ready to quit
God what is this he said I’m giving you
the opportunity of obscurity because I
can develop things in you in this season
that you’ll never be able to get again
and that’s why I came to tell you you
cannot be looking for mam’s applause
when God has already approved you in
private if you believe it can I get one
big amen okay so I want you I want you
to see this because some of you are like
why is obscurity and opportunity I’m
gonna give you a few reasons right now
the number one reason that obscurity is
an opportunity is because your struggles
can be
come your strengths when nobody’s
watching everything that you’re doing
and you’re staying on purpose and
working on the gifts in the talents that
God has given you the things you
struggle in today will become your
strengths in another season let me give
you a practical example
everybody’s watching what God is doing
here now and a lot of y’all are now a
part of transformation church and we’re
gonna have four services today and
hundreds of thousands of people are
gonna hear this message but there was a
reason why seven years ago when I
started preaching we didn’t have no
cameras there was a reason why God let
it start in a very small circle of a
youth group it’s because I did not know
how to do what would one day become my
strength and if y’all would have saw
what I did in seed for none of y’all
would be here I used to preach we would
start so flower service at six o’clock
and I would go from 6 o’clock and we
would not get out till 10:30 at night oh
yeah what you know about that I preached
for 3 hours mainly because I didn’t know
what I was talking about and I and I
hope that if I said one or two things
that was good
somebody’s life could be changed and
acted that for years there are people in
the room who were there I see UCP he
like I don’t know how I made it but but
I did that but it was because I was in a
season with less than a thousand
Instagram followers but with less than a
hundred people come into the circle with
less than that it was my struggle in
that season to be on time and to study
and all of those different things it was
the struggle in that season that became
my strength and this past week I was
able to speak on one of the largest
platforms I’ve ever spoken on my life I
want to show you what my season of
obscurity was cuz some of y’all don’t
believe it can you show him a picture of
the circle this is how I started I would
be in a circle with a bunch of young
people who didn’t know the Bible so they
didn’t know if I was right either
okay I would be getting corrected every
week because I was like Jesus did
something and maybe that’s right I’ll
correct it tomorrow like but but they
were my season of obscurity and because
I did not rush to a spotlight and I was
able to develop when nobody was looking
this past week this is the audience that
God allowed me to be able to minister to
in Royal Albert Hall 6000 leaders from
over 80 countries and I was the
headlining speaker along with Craig
Groeschel they paid me to be there I
felt the presence of God right there but
I would have never gotten to my
strengths if I wouldn’t have embraced my
opportunity of obscurity it’s some of
you right now they need to know I can
sing no they don’t
well they need to know I have business
plans no they don’t
will they need to know that I’m a great
writer mm-hmm because David didn’t ever
ever one time say what he did he was
always sent for when the opportunity
presented itself for him to be in the
place he needed to be
he was always sent for but it’s because
he was in them in the in the place where
God had him and he wasn’t trying to get
to another place this is why we got to
embrace our opportunity of obscurity and
this is what happened to David um I
remember it happening a little further
back but he’s about to defeat Goliath um
there was like what makes you think that
you can defeat Goliath he said well
nothing I was looking when I was in the
field a bear came and when the bear
attack it was overwhelming I was scared
and nobody was there and I slashed that
bear and now I got this bear coat
and he said and you don’t know this but
I got scars from fighting that Boehner
see I’m not showing everybody because
you don’t even have to know because it
was in obscurity and after the bear came
a lion came and this lion it was beacon
was another obstacle and nobody saw me
but when the lion came I slashed him up
and I called him scar look at this rug I
got and so because David took care of
his responsibilities in obscurity with
Goliath was standing in front of him on
a bigger platform he said who is this
uncircumcised Philistine that was cuss
words back then he was cussing right
there who is this uncircumcised
Philistine
he said I’m about to take him out
because I was able to perfect what was
in me when nobody was looking your
season of obscurity is more important
it’s not a punishment it’s a preparation
and you need to stop negating what God
is trying to make you in let me give you
another point obscurity is an
opportunity because your character can
be cultivated and corrected there were
things that I was doing when I was
starting out and so far I was calling
people names
I was just preaching for a long time I
had a lying spirit still in me these
were character issues that were going on
if I had the platform that I have now
with the character issues that I had
then when I was in obscurity this would
be over like this I had a felony case
that caught up with me and I had because
I was lying and God said I need to teach
you this in obscurity so when I put you
over people and I show you what I can do
with you you will have a conviction that
your character is to always do the right
thing your integrity is more important
than what anybody says about you but it
happened in the season of obscurity
that’s why the Bible says in proverbs 28
6 look what it says it says better is a
poor man who walks in his integrity than
a rich man who is crooked in all his
ways
all I’m saying to you right now is the
reason God hasn’t brought you to a
bigger platform is because he’s trying
to work out that character thing that
will disqualify you as soon as the light
comes on he said you need to stop
playing with this that’s why you need to
be focused right now this was I’m trying
to bring you your husband and you keep
selling them for these I’m trying I’m
trying to be good babe I’m with some
others then yeah but I’m saying you keep
selling them for less than and God says
if you would stay focused and allow me
to work on your character right now and
correct those things that are going
looking for love in all the wrong places
are trying to be a people pleaser he
said then when it comes to the right
opportunity I’ll be able to present you
with integrity and purpose and people
will be able to trust you and you will
not be moved by what the world has to
offer you but you will stand and be my
example wherever I place you because you
are marke somebody just shout at me I
marked say it one more time say I’m
marked this is why if you’re marked you
need to be okay with embracing your
opportunity of obscurity and that’s why
the Bible always talked calls David a
man after God’s own heart like how does
that happen how do you get God to name
you a man after my heart and through the
Scriptures if you read it it says um and
God was with David and God was with
David and God was with David over and
over and over again and one day I asked
I was like why God were you always with
David he said cuz David was always with
me he made time for me he didn’t work me
out of his schedule he came to me he
wasn’t trying to be so busy looking like
he made it that he he cut me out of his
life and he said that’s why I always
went before David cuz I had David’s
heart and this is why it’s so important
that we pray and that we read our word
every day how often do you eat physical
food every day how often should you eat
spiritual food every day because it’s
the one thing that when you open that
Bible it’s the one book you read that’ll
read you right back you start reading
laughing and it’ll correct stuff in you
it’ll start moving thing and that’s why
many of us stay away from it cuz it
actually will change you
and that’s why we need to embrace this
season of obscurity so that God can make
us into who he’s called us to be he’s
approved us in private and marked us but
we cannot get out of position so God can
finish making us let me give you my last
point with this obscurity is an
opportunity because your product can be
perfected until it’s potent we live in a
time where Christians are some of the
most ill-prepared and unskilled in
history like they want everything to be
a miracle like I didn’t study but I want
God to give me a miracle like I’m not
qualified at all but I’m gonna I’m just
gonna ask for the part I didn’t study
the lines and I don’t know what this
movie is even about but I want to be an
actor for the glory of God and the one
thing about David is his skills always
qualified him for what God wanted to do
it didn’t disqualify him see before
David was a king he was a skilled
Shepherd he was a skilled musician he
was a skilled writer and he was skilled
with the slingshot this is what he was
able to perfect when nobody was looking
and so many of us are trying to show
everybody where we can do and God says
you missed you shot and you missed cuz
you’re not good yet and you’re trying to
put it on Facebook and you’re not good
and you’re trying to start a company and
you suck see nobody tells you this I’m
being NFL player bro you should be a
pianist
you cannot play football and in the
church we don’t talk about this so coz
where everybody father there’s anything
we want ever and I deal with more
disappointed people who put time effort
and energy into a dream that God wasn’t
in and so I feel like it’s my
opportunity to tell you that you need to
stop trying to be famous and you need to
work on your craft you need to stop
trying to be seen and you need to
develop your skill because that’s why
God hasn’t blown it up yet
because he’s giving you this opportunity
of obscurity so that what your product
is can be potent enough to stand in
front of the entire Israel army who’s
trained to kill and you can pick up a
weapon they’ve never even thought about
using what you need bro you need this
sword swing swing 3,000 do you need do
you need this Boulder rocket for 90 said
no I’m gonna use what I’ve learned on
I’m gonna use what I spent all this time
in the field when y’all weren’t there
I’m gonna use the same thing this is the
same thing just a bigger platform happy
five smooth stones and a slingshot and
do you know he not Goliath out not with
five stones he only had to use one
that’s cuz he was skilled and the reason
why God is calling you to a season of
obscurity is because he’s trying to
allow you to have an opportunity to grow
your skill so that when you stand before
people that don’t believe in your God
how you do what you do is a testimony
more than what you say you’ll be able to
stand there and they say he does
everything he does as unto and this is
where we have to get okay so so so so
when Moses was trying to build the
temple in Exodus look what he said look
at the call he put out because they were
about to build this ornate temple
because God gave them instructions look
what they said Exodus 35 10 all who are
skilled among you that means there was a
lot of people but there were only a few
that were skilled all who are skilled
among you are to come and make
everything the Lord has commended the
Lord is commanding stuff to be made in
the earth in the area of government in
the area of sports and entertainment in
the area of Education in the area of
government but he’s already calling
people who are still all who are stilled
from among you come and do this work
that the Lord has commanded to be done
I’m telling you some of us need to make
a commitment
we’ll be content right where we are so
that we can work on what God has placed
in our hands and see some of y’all
looking at me crazy but I think this
analogy will help everybody see um some
of y’all don’t know what this is
does anybody know what this is okay this
is a camera and I know right now your
smartphone has a super pixels and and
can do all of this cool stuff but this
was as instant as it got about a decade
ago and if I wanted to take a picture
y’all smile right there y’all smile Hey
ah and then this is what I have to do
some of y’all know about that okay and
some of y’all have fast stones do you be
like back it didn’t even work like you
but the crazy thing about this is this
is the only way we could get pictures
and after I used all 24 of these
pictures what I would have to do is that
have to take the film out of it and I
would have to go to a place where there
was a professional and I had to leave my
film with the professional for some say
this cuss word time uh-huh see some of
you don’t know this because we want
everything right now but to get these
pictures to fully develop when I had to
leave it with a pro for a period of time
and what that professional would do is
it would take my film into the darkroom
he would take what I took a snapshot in
in the light the vision that I had and
he would take it to a dark room
intentionally an obscure place because
in the dark room he would pull out the
negatives and when he pulled out the
negatives
the imprint of what the image could be
but not the full image that it was
supposed to be he pulled out the
negatives and he took it through a
process of good preacher right here and
he put it in different areas for certain
times and he washed it off and he let he
cleaned it and he made it right in any
fit in a place where there couldn’t be
any light cuz if any light got on the
negative parts of that film before it
was time it would over expose the
picture and it would give it an identity
that it was not supposed to have and
what God is saying to you it’s the
reason I’ve kept you in the dark room oh
I feel this the reason I haven’t let
them see you
the reason it’s cuz I don’t want your
negatives exposed I wanna take you
through a process so that when I do it
they’ll be able to see the full picture
so why do you need to embrace this
obscurity that God has you in is cuz the
darkroom develops your negatives you’ve
been so trying to let everybody know
you’re worth it and guys that already
called you worth it already approved you
in private don’t nobody have to see what
I say about you they’ll see it
eventually when the picture comes out
it’ll be clear but if you if you expose
the negatives too quickly
you’re gonna allow what was supposed to
be a beautiful picture to be overexposed
and nobody will ever see the beauty of
what God saw when he made you I just
came to encourage everybody right now if
you’re marked and I believe there’s
several people in this room that your
heart is open that your best days are in
front of you I don’t care if you’re 65 I
don’t care if you’re 85 you’re not gonna
retire you’re gonna refire that’s gonna
give you new purpose in new age and I’m
tired of all these twenty eight year
olds talking about I missed it no you
didn’t you’re just starting that God is
trying to use everything that you’ve
been through as a part of the pieces
that are gonna make your masterpiece I’m
telling you this is the beginning if you
get the right perspective
and if you don’t run into the light too
soon
David was approved in private and today
I want you to know God sees you he’s
marked you and don’t come out of the
dark until it’s time what are you
singing dark depression no no in his
presence David was always found doing
the last thing God instructed him to do
and spending time in the presence of God
if it was me I would have been making a
trip up to the palace every day like hey
uh just trying to see if y’all need a
new king okay now no no come on let’s be
honest if the same guy that anointed the
king of power came in annoying to you
you’d be trying to connect work and get
in the rooms and David did none of it he
perfected what God had given him he
stayed humble before him he spent time
in obscurity and when it was time they
sent for him I’m telling you that God is
about to use you but you don’t need
anybody else’s cosign to know that you
were approved in private and let me help
you Jesus went through a dark room
experience three of them IQ think of you
remember when he was 12 when he was in
the synagogue telling all the the the
high priest and everybody like what this
means and what this means he forgot one
small detail he didn’t tell his mother
that he was going to the synagogue his
mom and said Jesus Jesus Jesus where is
this boy and then she spotted him and
then she walked up to him and she
probably did like my mama did to me she
didn’t even move her tea she said Jesus
[Applause]
she said get over here he’s a woman
don’t you know I’m about my father’s
business and we don’t hear from Jesus
read the Bible for 18 years I can’t make
this stuff up from the time he was 12 to
the time he was 30 nothing but it was
the season of obscurity that our Lord
and Savior had to go into where he
wasn’t working miracles that everybody
saw he might have just been serving we
know that he learned a skill he became
Jesus the carpenter he did stuff in that
that time and then he has another
wilderness season after he’s baptized
then he goes to the wilderness for 40
days to be tempted by the devil another
season of obscurity why God why are you
doing this he said cuz I’m trying to get
you a character right I’m gonna tempt
you with everything that you could ever
have and I want to know that you can
still withstand it because he was all
God and all man so he was tempted just
like we were tempted and he went into
that season of obscurity and when he
came out of that season it was 40 days
and then he had one more that I could
think of right before he went to the
cross in the Garden of Gethsemane where
he was praying out to God if there’s any
other way please this cup pass from me
but nevertheless not my will but yours
be done and his homeboys his three best
friends could not even wait with him
they couldn’t even stay up and pray with
him it’s because what God’s called you
to is not a committee thing when he
calls you to a season of obscurity he’s
not telling everybody around you it’s
their season of obscurity – you may have
to do it alone and right after he came
out of that one night of obscurity he
went to the cross for every single one
of us if David and Jesus had to go
through the process of being approved in
private who are you
who are we today I want to pray for you
if you’re in this room and you know
there’s an area of your life that you’ve
been trying to get out of the obscurity
I just want out of this job I just want
out of this marriage that is one out of
this thing and and I want to I want to
go I want to be improved in front of
people but you know God’s saying there’s
an area of you that needs to be approved
in private if that’s you I just want you
to lift your hand in this room right now
come on this is not for everybody but
this is for some people and I’m about to
pray for you because why don’t you just
slip the other hand tough right now
father I thank you for every person
who’s saying yep that’s me who who had
tried to allow other people to develop
them when really the development needs
to happen in the dark room god I’m
thinking that you’re calling us back to
pray or are you calling us back to seek
in your face and you’re calling us back
to faithfulness in our word but I thank
you right now that you are waking up
dreams in people right now that their
hope is being restored father God that
that their plans father that they throw
away their bringing them back out and
they’re gonna write the vision and make
it plain thank you
the today is a resurrection of people’s
faith the thing no you’re not done with
them yet and you’ve marked them for
purpose and we thank you that this is a
new day in Jesus name if you believe it
and receive it shout amen amen
hey listen if you’re in this room I feel
that y’all you do not want to miss a
week of this series cuz we couldn’t keep
walking this thing through and I’m
telling you cuz some of y’all’s faith is
gonna be revived and you’re gonna be
marked like never before this summer is
gonna be the best summer of your life
cuz it’s gonna be the most productive
you’re gonna be okay with the season
you’re in and you’re gonna be trusting
God for everything he’s gonna do in your
life but if you’re in this room and
you’ve never accepted Jesus as your
personal Lord and Savior I want to give
you that opportunity today you’re saying
I need to be marked for the first time
would you just please bow your head and
close your eyes for one more second just
so you can focus there were several
people in the last service and I believe
they’ll be more in this service we’re
saying you know what God I’m ready to
surrender my life like the young lady
from London who’s a part of
transformation nation like I’m tired of
running I’m about to give you my life
today and nobody knows it this is a
private thing to accept you and God
and and we’re gonna pray this prayer all
together but only you and God know if
you really mean it
so let’s pray this prayer together say
God thank you for mark in my life thank
you for sending your son to die just for
me just today I need a savior and I
choose you
I believe you lived you died and you
rose again just for me I give you my
life change me transform me I’m yours in
Jesus name Amen