Going Beyond Ministries with Priscilla Shirer – Give Your Gifts to God

Priscilla Shirer (born December 31, 1974) is an American author, motivational speaker, actress, and Christian evangelist. Her father is Dallas mega-church pastor Tony Evans and her brother is Christian entertainer Anthony Evans.
The daughter of Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas,[1] Priscilla grew up well acquainted with the Bible. As a freshman at the University of Houston, she interned with a Christian radio station. Soon listeners were calling the station, inviting Priscilla to speak at their Bible study groups and other events. Soon she was invited to lead a weekly Bible study at the Zig Ziglar Corporation and then to join its speaker team. Priscilla has worked as an independent contractor for CBS and hosted a local television show, but recently she has focused solely on Christian ministry opportunities. She calls Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of evangelist Rev. Billy Graham, her mentor in ministry.

Together the Shirers established Going Beyond Ministries, a speaking bureau featuring Priscilla. The parents of three young boys, the Shirers share ministry and family responsibilities. While Priscilla continues to minister full-time, Jerry manages his schedule and other business aspects of Going Beyond Ministries.

Priscilla speaks around the world at churches and other events, including the LifeWay Christian Resources-sponsored Going Beyond conference and Deeper Still: The Event, where she shares the stage with Beth Moore and Kay Arthur. She has also authored several books.

Shirer graduated from Duncanville High School and Dallas Theological Seminary, earning a master’s degree from the latter in Biblical Studies.

In 1993, Shirer was a freshman at the University of Houston. Shirer was married in 1999 to Jerry Shirer, former Hilton Hotels executive. The couple has three sons.

In 2013, Shirer was a speaker at the 2013 Women of Faith conference. In 2015, Shirer made her film debut in the Kendrick Brothers film War Room. In October 2016, Shirer was recognized as one of four prominent women of faith during the 10th anniversary of God’s Leading Ladies Life Enrichment Program at The Potter’s House.[1] Shirer also featured at the 47th GMA Dove Awards.

[Applause]

[Music]

Wow

listen don’t take your seat yet send

back a summary cuz I want to pray over

you’ll want us to all stand together in

the presence of God why pray over you

this Saturday morning and I wanted to

just tell you before we pray that the

last time I was with you at least four

pink impact I’ve been I sneaked into

Gateway all the time I sneaked into her

telephone but the last time I was with

you think impact we were over at the

Fort Worth Convention Center and I had

gotten a doctor’s report several weeks

prior that they saw a mass on my lungs

and I was waiting for a phone call that

day because I had gotten the x-ray done

again or the CT scan done again in hopes

that it had diminished so the phone rang

in between sessions at pink impact and

they called and said my doctor with her

very calming but very concerned voice to

say that that mass had not shrunk at all

and I was still there and I remember

feeling this paralyzing feeling like are

you are you serious like you just expect

them to say oh it wasn’t that you know

no big deal so that mass is still there

and I want you to know that the fact

that I got that call while I was with

you made all the difference because

there is a protective covering there is

a sense of truth and hope that resonates

in this house and that resonates in this

gathering that made me so crate that’s

the Lord Debbie that I got to be in this

place when I got that I told Jim

Greenwood that that day and Jan

Greenwood laid her hands on me

and prayed the fire of God’s Spirit down

on me

praise the Lord in the weeks that

followed they discovered that it was

benign that it’s just scar tissue that

settled there but I want you to know

that that uncertainty that I had in that

moment what I came back into the session

and I heard with that uncertainty after

that phone call not knowing what in the

world my life would be like in those

next weeks and months coming back into

the session and hearing the truth of God

and being amongst the people of God and

feeling his love and his hope emanating

from the worship and the word listen the

reason why you were in this place today

if you’ve got some uncertainty and a

phone call you’ve just gotten a betrayal

that’s just happened a broken heart that

has just kind of become become a part of

your reality because of a kid a child of

yours that struggling or a spouse or a

friend or a phone call you just got them

a doctor I’m saying the reason why

you’re in this house in this uncertain

time in your life it’s because your God

wants you to know he loves you he is for

you and no matter what there was so far

he has got your back and amen and for

Lord right now and she’s the same I

bring to you every single dollar that is

under the sound of my voice

both in this room and on the other side

of the screen and I pray right now in

Jesus name that whatever the uncertainty

is you would cover it by the blood of

Jesus lord I pray that you would infuse

hope where there is no hope that you

would infuse Lord your love where there

is a feeling of being unloved or

forgotten Lauren where there is no hope

I pray that you would bring hope and

fill in hope in the hearts of your women

where there is discouragement I pray

that you would lift discouragement off

of somebody’s life and that you would

replace it with your courage in Jesus

name lord I pray that if there is any

assignment of the enemy that that

assignment would be canceled in the name

of Jesus and by his word that has been

shed on Calvary

we’re in the house today for pink impact

because we are believing that you have

sent us here for these days for your

purposes so that we can leave different

than when we first started Father we

believe you we trust you with our lives

and now we come to you on this Saturday

morning over your word fully

anticipating that you’ve got a specific

word for every single person that is in

the room and beyond we are your servants

and we are listening speak Lord speak to

your people in Jesus name all God’s

women agreed when they said amen

Thank You amen take your seats y’all

stop cryin y’all get y’all selves

together so in the 1980s there was this

this movie that really took the entire

world by storm everybody was talking

about this movie everybody enjoyed it

and loved it so much and it sort of just

kind of went on the ripple effect of it

went on for a while so much so that 20

25 years later they made a remake of

this film the name of the film was the

Karate Kid I’m sure you saw at least the

remake in 2010 I said to my boys

recently guys have y’all seen the Karate

Kid and they were like yeah you know

what Will Smith sir and I was like that

one was good too but the original

version you got to see the original

version and as I look out at least if

those of you that are gathered in this

room with me as I look at it occurs to

me that many of you weren’t even born in

the 1980s I’m so troubled right now but

it was about 1985 or so when the

original Karate Kid came out Daniel son

do you remember Daniel son is being

terrorized by some bullies that are at

his school and/or in his neighborhood

and he’s just trying his best to deal

with him them but he’s not able to on

his own so he finds a sensei of sorts

mr. Miyagi and he goes to mr. Miyagi and

he says mr. Miyagi listen I need you to

train me in the art of karate so that I

am able to stand firm against this enemy

because they are really running me over

and I need some tactics can you please

help me with this and so mr. Miyagi is a

little bit reluctant a little bit

hesitant but finally he says yes I will

take you on as a student so Daniel is

very excited he leaves that night after

getting the yes from mr. Miyagi he comes

back the next day ready to learn the art

of karate instead mr. Miyagi hands him

to wash rags and says to him wax the

cars

wax on and wax off and he takes them to

this lot there’s not one or two cars in

the lot it is filled to capacity and he

says wax all the cars and Daniel gets

started he you know figures he’d do the

old man a favor for a little while

before they get started in the real

reason why he’s coming so he waxes on

and waxes off at any time he gets sloppy

along the way a mr. Miyagi shows up and

says uh uh don’t do it that way Daniel

son wax on and wax off

so the day turns into evening time he’s

finally finished every car in the lot he

goes home coming back the next day fully

expecting and anticipating that today is

the day that I’m a learn some actual

karate instead mr. Miyagi puts a paint

can in one hand a paintbrush in the

other and he takes them to a wooden

fence line that’s surrounding a patio

and he says I want you to paint the

fence paint the fence and I don’t want

you to just do it any old kind of sloppy

way no I actually want you to paint it

exactly like I’ve asked you to paint it

and so he paints the short little

distance that exists between the

beginning of the fence line and some

brush some trees that are there any

thinks he’s done and he says I got it

done mr. Miyagi and mr. Miyagi says

Daniel spent the whole fence paint the

fence and any time he gets sloppy along

the way mr. Miyagi shows up and says uh

uh Danielson do it exactly the way that

I’ve asked you to do it he’s frustrated

now pretty irritated because this is not

the reason why he came he didn’t come to

be his house manager he came to learn

some actual karate he goes home that

evening expecting that the next day will

be the day that he actually learns what

he came to learn instead mr. Miyagi

hands me some sandpaper sets him down on

a wooden deck and says sand the floor

sand the floor and any time he gets

sloppy along the way mr. Miyagi comes by

shows him exactly again exactly how it

is supposed to be done and says do it my

way

now Daniel son is completely irritated

he cannot believe it basically for the

past three four

he has been a house manager a

housekeeper for mr. Miyagi and he

decides to give mr. Miyagi a piece of

his mind and so he says to him you got

to be kidding me this is not the reason

why we agreed for me to show up every

single day I can’t believe you’ve got me

doing all this random nonsensical stuff

here around your house and as he’s

talking and expressing his irritation to

mr. Miyagi mr. Miyagi begins out of

nowhere to throw random punches and

Danielson son instinctually begins to

block every single punch that comes his

way because in the training process he

didn’t realize that what to him seemed

like a complete waste of time was

actually preparing him for punches that

the master knew would be coming his way

I can only imagine that in the group

this size both in this room and on the

other side of the screen that there are

so very many of us that are in seasons

of our life where there are things that

are happening paces that the Lord is

putting us through things that he’s

asked us to do or ask us to be in this

season of our life whether in marriage

or in parenting or in ministry on our

job and we try to figure out what in the

world does this have to do with the big

overarching plan God that I think that

you have for my life could it be that

the master knows that there are things

coming your way that if you will handle

appropriately and responsibly and with

diligent what he’s put in your hands to

do today that it’s actually setting you

up to be victorious later on and so I

was thinking about this in regards to

areas of my life in areas of some some

guy’s life that we’re gonna meet in the

scriptures here in just a few minutes

where there are things that either are

tedious for us or even taxing for us

they’re waiting on us we’re wondering

why the Lord has us going through those

things that maybe those things are

actually the things that pressed us

enough to produce the best out of our

lives I see this happening in Luke

chapter 9

do you have your Bible and you actually

want to turn there with me if you

actually still use the Bible with paper

pages like I do

or your iPhone your iPad any manner of

i-ness just flip on over to Luke chapter

9 Luke chapter 9 is a very familiar

story

I’m gonna read several verses of

Scripture to you and then we’re just

going to talk a little bit through this

story because I think we’re gonna find

out how sometimes some of the most

tedious or taxing portions of our life

are God ordained and used to bring the

best things out of us Luke chapter 9

verse 1 and 2 and then I’m gonna read

the familiar part verses 10 through 17

it says and if he called somebody say he

called Jesus called the twelve together

and he gave somebody say he gave he gave

them power and authority over all demons

and to heal diseases verse two says and

he said somebody say he sent and he sent

them out verse 10 says and when they

returned to him they gave him an account

of all that they had done and taking

them with him he withdrew by himself to

a city called Bethsaida

but the multitudes they were aware of

this so they followed Jesus and

welcoming the multitude welcoming them

he began speaking to them about the

kingdom of God and curing all of those

who were in need of healing verse 12

says and then the day began to decline

and the twelve came to Jesus and said

Jesus would you please send this

multitude away they need to go and they

need to go to the surrounding villages

and countryside find some lodging get

something to eat because you know Jesus

right here we’re in a very very desolate

place but he said to them

uh-uh you give him something to eat and

they said come on Jesus you know we only

have five loaves and two fish unless

perhaps we go and buy more food for all

these people the the author wants you to

know there were about 5,000 men scholars

say that doesn’t include women and

children there were probably 15,000

people there that day he said to the

disciples have them reclined to eat in

groups of about fifty each verse 15 says

so they did that had them all recline he

took the five loaves and the two fish

and looking up to heaven

he blessed them and then he broke them

and then he kept giving them to the

disciples to set before the multitude

and they all ate and were satisfied and

the broken pieces which they had left

over were picked up and there were

twelve baskets full I know that many of

you have heard this passage of Scripture

before this there is familiar beautiful

portion of scripture where Jesus has an

encounter with a multitude that is

hungry and that needs to be fed but I

really believe that this miracle doesn’t

start when the people get hungry I think

it starts really at the beginning of

this chapter where we meet the twelve

the disciples who are in close

connection close fellowship with Jesus

Christ like you and I have been in our

lives but specifically over these the

last few days when we’re having a close

up face-to-face encounter with Jesus

these twelve are connected to Jesus in a

very personal intimate way in these

first two verses of Luke chapter 9 in

fact this exact same story is told in

another gospel the synoptic gospel which

is Mark chapter six you don’t have to

turn there but I’ll just tell you in

mark chapter 6 when this story is told

we get more flesh on the bones of this

story I want to tell you that anytime

you read the same story told in the

synoptic Gospels that mean where there’s

synergy in the stories that are told in

those Gospels and you see something that

seems to be contradictory well we know

that the Bible is completely inherent

that means if there’s something that has

said that is a little different in one

passage than in the other what that

tells us is that there’s some flesh

there’s some layers there’s some texture

that’s gonna help us to get a handle on

that story even better it’s kind of like

if somebody offers you a one layer

chocolate cake you’re gonna enjoy it but

if somebody gives you an option between

one layer and seven layers now I don’t

know about y’all but I’m gonna take the

seven layer chocolate cake every single

time that’s because the more layers

there are the more rich and full and

delectable the experience really becomes

right in mark chapter 6 we get a layer

of chocolate cake it tells us that this

is the time when the disciples came to

Jesus and then he sent them

in pairs do you remember that he sent

them out two by two to the neighboring

towns and the neighboring communities

and the neighboring cities to perform

miracles and to teach and to preach and

to authenticate that Jesus was who he

said he was and their ministry was so

effective that lark chapter 6 tells us

when they came back to Jesus they were

completely depleted and completely tired

and exhausted because they had given so

much and they had expended so much in

fact Jesus is the one who recognized

their exhaustion because they had been

completely spent in doing what it was

that Jesus had come to them Jesus had

asked them and assigned to them to do so

they came back to Jesus they looked him

in his face and gave an account for how

they had handled the assignment on which

they had been sent in fact the author in

mark chapter 6 wants you to know they

had been so busy they had not even had

time to eat has anybody in the room ever

been that busy

I ain’t never been that busy but these

men were so busy they had not even eaten

Jesus recognized their exhaustion they

came to Jesus and they gave an account

because they had handled the assignment

that they had been given so fully and

completely and with integrity if you

don’t mind I’ve got to just open up a

parenthesis here before we get to the

feeding of the 5,000 just open up a

parenthesis here to make sure you don’t

miss the disciples handled the

assignment that Jesus had given them

with so much integrity that they were

able to look Jesus in his eyes and give

him an account for how they had handled

that assignment do you all know that

there is a time that is coming sooner

than we think where we’re going to see

our Savior face to face and we’re gonna

have to give an account me and you for

how we’ve handled the assignment that he

sent us on whether it’s being a mother

or a wife or a single woman or a woman

in ministry or in a corporate setting

whatever assignment he’s given you to do

the day is coming y’all where we’re

gonna see our Savior look him in the

face and have to give him an account and

I don’t know about you guys but when I

give my Savior an account I’m looking

for well done I want to hear my Savior

self will say well done

not because I’ve spent my days

impressing people but because my rice

has garnered the applause of heaven I

remember my grandmother before she

passed away she said to me Priscilla

when I see him face to face I don’t want

to meet him with my head hung down I

want to be able to lift my head up and

look at him not an arrogance or in pride

but but in integrity that I did to the

best of my I finished my race I ran with

integrity with the baton that he gave me

as a wife as a mother in ministry on my

job I did what it was that he had called

me to do and the disciples they gave an

account and so I just with with our

little open parenthesis right here I

just thought it would

interesting to us for any of us who are

in the room who want to make sure that

we can give an account like these

disciples did I thought it would be

interesting to try to figure out if

there was some sort of recipe for

effective ministry that is in this

passage somewhere and just to be clear

every single one of us under the sound

of my voice are in ministry if you are a

believer in Jesus Christ you’re in

ministry it’s the enemy that wants us to

think you got to be standing on a

platform with a microphone in your hand

in order to be in ministry it is the

enemy that has compelled us globally is

the church to minimize or downgrade the

gifts that happen to be behind closed

doors and behind the scenes but the only

reason why you and I could be in this

building today is because there’s

somebody humble enough and yields it

enough to come in here after we leave to

clean up the floors and the seats and to

make sure that we have a place to sit

and receive what God has done doing in

our lives the only reason we have this

opportunity is because there are people

behind those cameras behind the stage

and taking care of our children in the

sunday school to make sure that we have

the privilege to be in this place may we

never downplay those gifts those talents

those ministries so whatever he’s called

you to do you ought to do it with all of

your might because one day y’all we’re

gonna give an account I wanted to figure

out what’s the recipe for some effective

ministry like these disciples had where

they were completely spent and yielded

and and desirous of looking at Jesus to

give him an account of how they had

handled their assignment y’all there is

a recipe right here in verse 1 in verse

2 the recipe has three ingredients

anybody interested in the recipe of

effective ministry the very first

ingredient in the recipe it says that he

called them Jesus called them they did

not call themselves to an assignment

they heard the call of God God all of

the deity and the holiness and the

authority of God wrapped

of humanity he made it so that humans

could hear his voice and know what his

assignment was for them do you know that

because of God’s Spirit you can hear and

heed the calling of God for your life

and when the disciples heard the call of

God they did not ignore it they did not

circumvent it they did not hope that

someone else would fill in this

assignment while they a pursuit bigger

and better ambitions and gold they

heeded the call of God the first

ingredient of effective ministry is

hearing and heeding the call of God for

your life

there is no ambition there is no

personal aspiration that is more

meaningful in your life than the call of

God that’s what you were made for do it

to the glory of God don’t let there be

any fear any insecurity that keeps you

from saying yes sir to the Codel of God

on your life where your heart burns

where there’s fire shut up in your bones

where you can’t sit back because the

Holy Spirit is poking and prodding and

compelling and convicting you to go well

go by the Spirit of God where you are

called he will equip you for that

calling the disciples y’all they were

called Lord forgive us when we have

called ourselves to tasks that were

never meant for us Lord forgive us when

we have walked down the lane that was

actually somebody else’s lane to walk

down forgive us when we have tried to

fill in shoes that were somebody else’s

shoes to fill and make us women who hear

and heed and value the call of God on

our lives but there’s not just the first

ingredient there’s a second ingredient I

love that before he sent them there’s an

ingredient right there in the middle it

says he gave them power and authority in

other words they could not go on their

own skill or their own gifting or their

own talents they had to rely on the the

entrusted power and authority of God’s

Spirit given to them for the test

because can I tell you the enemy hopes

that we will go in our own power he

hopes that we will go in our own skill

our own gifting our own talent but if we

want to pray for people and those

prayers actually break yokes on people’s

lives if we want to sing a song and it

do more than just impress people and

garner a standing ovation if we want to

speak or write the blog post or write

the poem or the book and it actually

changed and transformed the heart of

people then we can’t go in the natural

we gotta go in the supernatural if he’s

called you would you know that he is

also going to give you the power and

authority to accomplish the task to

which you have been sent Lord forgive us

when we have gone in our own strength

and our own power

cuz y’all it’s not by might and it is

not by power it is by the Spirit of God

and some trust in chariots other folks

they trust in horses but not us we trust

in the name of the Lord our God whatever

he’s called you to do I mean while

you’ve been sitting here at this

conference you’ve felt the unction the

sparks of the Holy Spirit going off like

wildfire in your soul you know what it

is he’s asking you to do whether it’s to

forgive someone or to ask for

forgiveness or give that gift or to

offer that song or to start that

ministry whatever it is that he’s called

you to do know that he won’t equip you

with his power and his authority to

accomplish the task so they were called

they were equipped but there’s a third

of ingredient in the recipe it says that

he sent them listen to me he’s the one

that did the sending just as important

as your calling is that is as important

as the timing in which that calling is

actually out worked in your life resist

the urge restrain yourself from sending

yourself to an assignment that it is not

yet time for if he has not yet sent you

then restrain yourself from coming out

of the protective covering of his

developmental process too soon because

if you give birth too soon to a calling

it’s not yet time for you won’t abort

the process you won’t abort the

character that he was trying to

establish in you the fortification that

he was trying to build in you the stuff

you would need in order to stand study

in the calling to which you have been

assigned you will abort that process if

you go too soon

and listen if the spotlight that you may

be craving hits you and you have no

character the spotlight you are craving

it will burn you to a crisp I so

restrain yourself from going too soon

into a calling that it is not yet time

for these disciples they were called

they were equipped and then they were

sent by Jesus Christ and because this

recipe was working in their life they

were able to come back to him and say

Lord we did what it was that you had

asked us to do we finished the race we

did to the best of our capacities not

perfectly but at least intentionally and

purposefully what you’ve asked us to do

and I want to be able to look my Savior

in the face don’t you and say as a

single woman or as a mother as a woman

in ministry or a woman that is married

to this particular man in this

particular assignment that I did what it

wasn’t you asked me to do not perfectly

but purposefully and by the Spirit of

God and so when the disciples come back

to Jesus with this report they’re tired

they are exhausted here’s the deal Jesus

sees them at their exhaustion and he

does not rebuke them because they’re

tired he does not say go away from me

take a nap get yourself together and

then come back later when I can actually

use you I have a word for anybody in the

room and you’re just plain old flat-out

tired because God’s assignment for you

has been a little bit taxing this year

you’ve been given everything you’ve got

to that marriage or that ministry or

that job you have been to the best of

your ability parenting those toddlers or

lord help us these teenagers

or the adult children of yours have

taken you a little bit of a ride you

have been giving it everything you’ve

got and this conference has met you a

little bit tired the disciples know

exactly how you feel

and the great thing about our God is

that he does not say to us you’re too

tired and exhausted for me to actually

use you he doesn’t say go away from me

and get yourself together before you can

come back and be useful to my purposes

he says to us the exact same thing he

said to the disciples he said to them

come away with me

in other words intimacy is the cure for

your exhaustion intimacy with him is

secure if you’re tired today don’t go

away from him get close to him this is

the time where you will find that

nearness to the Savior rejuvenates in

you everything that has been depleted by

the assignment that you have been

pouring yourself out for I took my boys

Oh actually it’s been almost two years

now we went to Cape Town South Africa I

had to speak there

I knew a year in advance so we saved up

all this money and planned and did

everything we could because I thought

who knows if I ever get to go back there

in my life imma take these boys and so

we planned as much as we could to get

those boys there up until last year I

was homeschooling the three boys we’ve

been doing that for four or five years

now so they could travel with us and be

engaged in ministry with us and so I

sort of planned school around the fact

that I knew we were going to Cape Town

so we studied the geography of Cape Town

we were studying Nelson Mandela and

apartheid and I had them look up

different animal species from Cape Town

we just sort of were gonna milk this

thing for all it was worth then when we

got there I you know I think they

thought they were gonna be on vacation

and just stay in the hotel room and swim

and yeah I was like we’re going to see

every single thing there is to see in

Cape Town so every morning I was that

mother get up let’s go and they were all

like Oh mom we just want to stay here I

was like oh we’re not in Austin we

didn’t Cape Town let’s go

and one day you will rise up and call me

blessed you better or I will spank you

so on one of the days we went on a

little Safari we drove two hours outside

of Cape Town early in the morning we got

into one of those little open jeeps with

a learned very bubbly guide he was

sitting at the front and and he took us

around and a lot lots of tourists that

were there we went around and saw lots

of different animals that we had studied

things that we don’t see lots of times

here in the States but we also saw herd

of zebra and there’s nothing

particularly fascinating about that cuz

we get we get to see that here but it

was fascinating what the guide told us

he said oh this is this is very

interesting he pointed to the herd of

zebra there was a little baby foal there

a baby zebra and he pointed to it said

this is the first time I’m seeing the

baby back with the herd he said for

about two three weeks now we have not

laid eyes on the mom or the fault and he

said the reason why is because when a

mother gives birth to a baby she will

take that baby away from the rest of the

herd for quite some time we never know

when they’re coming back and he said

here’s the reason why he said you can’t

really tell by the naked human eye but

really the configuration of stripes on

every single zebra is as unique and

distinct as fingerprints of human beings

so you can’t really see it but

particularly the configuration right in

the center of their forehead is their

fingerprint it’s unique to every single

zebra so when a new baby is born the

mother will take that baby aside and

away for a little while so that there

will be so much intimacy and closeness

and fellowship and singularity in their

focus that that baby will become

completely familiarized with the

configuration of stripes on his mom’s

ahead so that when they come back to the

herd there will never be any trouble in

distinguishing for that baby which one

of these diva is actually the one who

loves me most and it’s the intimacy and

the closeness and the awareness of that

baby with the mom

makes that possible this is why when you

are most fledgling most vulnerable most

weak most tired it’s not the time to go

away from him it’s the time to get close

and study his stripes because let me

tell you it’s by his stripes that you

are healed

intimacy is the cure for your exhaustion

that’s why these few days that you have

set aside that you have sown this seed

into the spiritual fabric of your life

this is why this seed is gonna reap a

harvest that’s gonna transform this next

season of your life this is why he has

set us aside at pink impact where he’s

basically taking us on a date for a few

hours this weekend where he’s whispered

sweet things in our ears where he’s

remind us that we’re loved where we’ve

studied his stripes where we worshiped

him and spirited in truth where we’ve

opened up the Word of God and let him

speak over our lives of this kind of

seed always reaps an incredible harvest

so the disciples are taken away with

Jesus jesus knows that they need to be

refreshed they need to be rejuvenated

that’s the whole reason why he’s taking

them away in the first place he says

let’s go away on a little retreat on a

vacation y’all need to be refueled so he

takes them across the northern tip of

the Sea of Galilee to a little patch of

stony ground that is right outside of a

town called Bethsaida and when they get

there there are 15,000 hungry people

waiting on them Jesus in his sovereignty

knew before they got there when he was

taking the twelve on their retreat to be

refreshed he knew before they arrived

that there would be a circumstance there

that would not just be tedious but would

be so taxing would place a demand on

them would be something that they would

not understand that they wouldn’t be

able to figure out what this has to do

with the purpose which which he brought

them for in their estimation he knew

that those 15 thousand would be there

which means that the feeding of the

5,000 is not just about the multitude

it’s about the 12 what it tells us is

that Jesus had the twelve on his mind

when they came face-to-face with the

multitude not just the hunger that the

multitude represented what it tells us

is that the five loaves and the two fish

are the gift to the multitude but that

in some way this multitude is the gift

to the disciples there’s something about

the weight of the multitude that is

going to bring something out of the

disciples that the master knows is

important and critical for them being

exactly who he is called and

commissioned them to be so I think I’ve

told you this before man I tell you

again so my boys my oldest two are in

their teenage years now I keep a journal

for each one of my boys I went to Ross

just for less right there in the back

corner they’ve got this little rack of

journals so I bought them about ten

years ago now 399 apiece somebody say

hallelujah and I write in these journals

for the boys not not every day not even

every week or every month honestly just

a couple of times a year when I see

something happening in their life that’s

interesting or they say something funny

I don’t want to forget or something

happens in school and I want to keep a

record of it but at least once a year on

their birthday I make sure to write

something because my plan is you know

one day to hand it over to him and say

you know this these are my thoughts for

you these are the things I want you to

know or better yet I’m just gonna give

it to their wives and see it say this is

have fun with that so because my oldest

son is headed toward his 16th birthday I

was looking back at his book I started

this when he was 5 so I was looking back

at 5 years old 5 years old was when he

lost his first tooth I wrote that down I

wrote it down because that’s been my son

Jackson who’s never needed a lot of

sleep

always has gone to bed late woken up

early seems to work for him not me but

him but that night he went to bed early

he could not wait to go to bed I have

never seen that boy eager to go to bed

but that night he could he dove into bed

at 7:30 he could not wait to lay his

head down on the pillow because we had

told him if he put his tooth under a

pillow at the Tooth Fairy was coming he

had been trying to make that to come out

as much as he possibly could

he finally went finally loosened enough

and fell out he’s Dovan to bed that

night put it under the pillow

he tried to go to sleep every two

seconds or so he was waking up to see if

anything had happened underneath the

pillow

finally he fell asleep and I remember

that it was about 3 a.m. in the morning

or so that I felt stirring beside me as

the 6 foot to 250 pound Tooth Fairy that

I sleep next to every night got up went

upstairs and replaced the tooth for a

treasure in the morning I knew when

Jackson got up and at the time his

three-year-old brother JC I knew when

they were up because they were so

excited to see there was someone the

pill I heard the stomping on the ground

I heard little cheers I heard excitement

I heard them bound down the stairs into

our bedroom my boy ran in with two fists

clenched closed and said mom the Tooth

Fairy came she brought me a treasure he

opened up one hand and there was a

package of gummy bears there which was a

big deal because that was his favorite

snack at the time he opened up his other

hand and there was $5.00

exactly

[Applause]

ain’t nobody got time for that anybody

in here grew up in the days of dimes and

quarter like a quarter was a big deal so

I was trying to be excited but really it

was annoyed I’m trying to smile but it’s

through clenched teeth because I could

not believe this boy got $5.00 in his

hair and my husband could read the body

language he could tell that I was a

little uneasy about this whole

five-dollar Tooth Fairy business of his

so after Jackson left the room my

husband said to me don’t worry Priscilla

he said do you remember that last month

which at the time would have been a

November which is Jackson’s birthday he

said do you remember that last month was

Jackson’s fifth birthday and as we still

do to this day all the aunts and uncles

grandparents cousins everybody comes

over to celebrate the birthdays he said

do you remember that most everybody

brought a card with $5 in it and we took

all of those $5 bills and we put them in

a birthday drawer in the kitchen he said

this morning at 3:00 a.m. I went right

inside that birthday drawer got out one

of those

[Applause]

that is good financial stewardship right

there is what that is so I had watched

my boy get all excited about treasure

that was really already his all alone

can’t even begin to tell you the

treasure that’s on the inside of you the

treasure that has been given to us

hidden vessels disposal ready to be

accessed but often we spend our days

with the treasure of God’s gifting and

his fruit and the Spirit of God the

power of God that is entrusted to each

and every one of us we have tucked it

away in a drawer or underutilized under

access and I don’t know about you but I

would hate to get to heaven only to be

told look at what you could have had

access to that you tucked away and never

ever experienced and most of the time

when we say Lord would you help me to

open up the drawer would you help me to

experience everything that you’ve tucked

away on the inside of me Lord would you

help me to do whatever it takes to

access everything that you have given me

access to the way he answers that prayer

is with a multitude he puts you in a

situation where you were so taxed and so

pressed that you have got to pull out

what you would have otherwise minimized

what you would have otherwise thought

was insignificant what you would have

otherwise ignored that gifting that

talent that idea that thought that

patience that creativity the thing that

you’ve tucked away under utilized and uh

Naxos Lord I want to see that experience

in my life he says well i’ma help you

open up the drawer and a multitude is

what’s going to give you access to it so

he takes these disciples that need to be

refreshed he takes them to a place where

it doesn’t look like refreshing it

doesn’t look like a vacation it doesn’t

look like what they will need in order

to be refueled for the next assignment

but Jesus says this multitude is

actually going to cause you to see

differently the gift that I have already

you access to five loaves and the two

fish there are the gift to the multitude

but it is that multitude that is

actually the gift to the disciples

it’s the multitude that might be the

gift to you it’s the thing that is so

tedious or time-consuming it’s the thing

that is so taxing or so waiting on you

that you’re trying to figure out how in

the world could this be a gift to me

could it be that the multitude is

actually the answer to the prayer you’ve

been praying coz I’ve got this friend

her name is Christine Kane she’s a wild

woman she’s nuts and I heard her say

something one time that I will never

ever forget she said we as believers we

pray we pray and we say Lord I want to

see you I want to see a miracle but in

the next breath we say lord please keep

me out of any situation in which a

miracle would actually be required

everybody wants to see the Red Sea

divided but nobody wants to be the one

who comes face to face with the Red Sea

everybody wants to see the walls of

Jericho come tumbling down but nobody

wants to be the one who has to walk

around those walls in obedience to God

trusting that he can cause the fortress

of Jericho to come tumbling down in your

life if we want to see God then we have

to trust that when he sends the weighty

multitude that we can’t see how in the

world this is connected to anything that

we feel like we need in our life to fill

us up and to prepare us for what’s next

we’ve got to trust that the master knows

exactly what he’s doing

so look what the disciples said about

this multitude in verse 12 they said

send the multitude away come on now this

sounds like me does it sound like

anybody else when there is a multitude

in my life when there’s something

placing a demand on me or pressing on me

that makes me uncomfortable or make me

feel like I’m out of my element or it’s

not easy it’s not convenient it’s not

what I prefer

I don’t just ask I mean I pray like

further

like I’m on my knee like Lord if you

would please take this multitude away I

would be so grateful Lord if you would

please let this cup pass from me father

so that I can do the work that you have

called me to do more take take this

multitude away but would you notice that

what they are wishing away in verse 12

is the very thing in verse 11 that it

says Jesus welcomed they are wishing

away the multitude that he has just

welcomed resists the urge to wish away

but Jesus is welcoming into your

experience the multitude that he is not

just tolerating but he is welcoming into

your life because it is your gift

resists the urge to try to pray it away

in fact if you have been trying to pray

that multitude away but for God’s

sovereign reasons that we may not never

know on this side of eternity he has not

released you from that multitude then

you can automatically assume that there

is a gift hidden in that multitude for

me you can automatically see with your

chin in your hands in full anticipation

that if he’s allowed and sustained this

multitude in your experience it’s

because there’s something in it that he

does not want you to miss so they say

send the multitude away but Jesus

doesn’t oblige them he doesn’t allow the

multitude be sent away because he knows

that in sending it away he will be

sending away the actual gift that they

need to be able to open up the drawer

and see the treasure that they that they

already have at their disposal and so

when Jesus doesn’t go for that they have

an oath another alternative and option B

look at what they say to Jesus they say

well Jesus verse 13 we have no more than

five loaves and two fish so maybe let us

go and buy food for all these people in

other words if you won’t let us send the

multitude away let us send ourselves

away so that we can go to the

neighboring towns and communities and

accumulate something more because as we

currently are is not so

patient to handle believe that is at

hand

we are not enough we do not have enough

we are not skilled enough we don’t have

enough resources we aren’t talented

enough we don’t have the right ideas the

right creativity what she has what he

has is better or more suited for this

task Lord as I am is not enough it has

always been the directive of the enemy

to make God’s people think that as they

are today is not enough not suited to

the situation that is happening in their

life at that current time it’s the enemy

that makes us think we’ve got to go

somewhere and become something else and

gather something more and accumulate

something different before we’ll be

suited to sustain the task that is

currently at hand in our life but listen

if he has called you to it if he has

allowed it that means that you likely

already have in your hands everything

that you need for that circumstance that

you are facing if you just open up the

drawer pull it out entrust it to his

care you’ll get to see a multiplying

miracle of the Most High God so Jesus

will not let the disciples he will not

let us work our ways out of the

opportunity to see and experience him in

our lives he will not let us send the

multitude away he won’t allow us to send

ourselves away he want us right smack

dab underneath the pressure of that

multitude because with that multitude

weighing on us it gives us the

opportunity to open up the drawer and

see what he likes to do with loaves and

fish and so he says actually in mark

chapter 6 our layer of chocolate cake he

says to them well what do you have he

asked the question what do you have he

doesn’t say what do you not have that

she has that you might need to go get so

that you can actually have what is

necessary for this multitude he says

what do you have then here’s the deal he

doesn’t give them a chance to answer cuz

they would likely say the wrong thing

it’s like when you ask your kid when

your kid has the nerve to come to you

and say they are bored

I mean it’s January they just finished

Christmas you just scoured Amazon trying

to figure out what to get them for

Christmas had a few things under the

tree that you thought were perfect for

them and now they have the nerve to come

to you and say they are bored and it

takes the restraining power of the Holy

Ghost for you not to knock them out you

might look at that kid and say well what

do you and knowing that they might give

you an answer that they will regret we

don’t even give him a chance to answer

Jesus didn’t even give him a chance he

just said go and look I want to ask you

have you even taken the time all the

time that you’ve taken to complain or to

compare have you taken any of that

energy to just go and look have you

asked God to reveal to you to show you

what it is that you already have tucked

away in your drawer go and look Moses

because if you’ll just look you will

find out that that rod that you’ve been

thinking is just a plain old rod that

rod would have held out over the Red Sea

will be enough to cause it to divide

from one end to the other go and look

David I know you see Goliath but if you

go look down by the riverbed you’ll see

that there are five smooth stones

waiting on you to show up to see them to

utilize them to take that giant down

sisters have you gone to look to see

what it is that is already at your

disposal he says that resource is all

you need pull it out entrusted into my

hands and when they do the scriptures

say Jesus took the five loaves and two

fish oh I wish I had time y’all cuz if I

had some time I would tell you about the

beautiful thing that it is that our God

takes our little bits if we’ll just go

get it he takes it he doesn’t turn his

nose up there are 15,000 people here

what do you think I’m gonna do with a

couple pieces of bread and an sardines

he doesn’t say that he says I

we’ll receive what you bring to me he

takes the meager gifts of man thank you

Lord that you take our little bit and

looking up to heaven he blessed yo this

is what you need cuz everything changes

when God’s blessing is on your five

loaves and two fish this is basically

what they call favor favor is what makes

the scales unbalanced favor is what

mikes make stuff unfair favor is what

takes you places where everybody else is

going house you get their favor is what

puts you in positions you never thought

you could hold favor is what allows you

to to be in in proximity to people you

never thought you would be around favor

on your five and two is exactly what did

I say your after put it in his hands he

will look up to heaven he will bless it

he will break it and then he kept giving

it back to the disciples and it kept

going and going and going and going and

there was enough for every person all

15,000 who were there but not just that

because it says they were left over

somebody say leftovers this wasn’t like

some little snack y’all this was like

Sunday afternoon dinner I’m talking

about when we were growing up not that

you know we all go out to eat now I’m

talking about you know where your mom

started dinner on Saturday night

anybody know what I’m talking about I

remember roast the smell of roast all

night long and yeast rolls rising on the

counter and macaroni and cheese up

bubbling and preparing before we ever

left the house that morning to go to

church Sunday dinner was already ready

I was already salivating and then you

came home and you ate this huge meal

whereas the words you were barely you

were basically comatose for the rest of

the day this is the kind of banquet

feast I’m talking about that Jesus

provided for them so much that they were

filled up to overflowing and there

leftovers and not just any ol amount of

leftovers cuz there were twelve baskets

one for each of the 12 depleted

exhausted disciples enough for them to

take home with them so that they left

with more than they came refreshed

rejuvenated not exhausted anymore

because everything changes when you’ve

had an encounter with the multiplying

Jesus can I just pray for any of you who

may be in this room today and you need a

multiplication miracle because you are

in the midst of either a tedious

time-consuming or taxing circumstance in

your life and honestly you don’t see the

connection you don’t see what this is

gonna have to do with that but you want

to trust the master that he’s gonna take

what you got he’s gonna multiply it and

he’s gonna make it so that whatever

multitude you’ve got in your life you’ll

be brave enough to yield your five

loaves and two fish and then trust him

to make it so that your five and two are

enough for that circumstance if you’re

in a particular situation right now and

you need prayer in that regard would you

just raise your hand I’m gonna cover you

as we close this time in God’s Word

lord I thank you for every sister in

this room and beyond who has her hand

raised right now she is willing Lord to

yield to you the little bit she’s got I

thank you Father that all you ask is for

us to give to you what we have to yield

it back to you and so I’m asking you

sisters as your hands are raised would

you even now picture your little bit

your five loaves and your two fish the

little skill the little talent the

little gift the little money the little

ideas a little energy that you do have

and just say Lord it’s yours Lord we

yield it to you and full anticipation

that you’re gonna bless it you’re gonna

break it and then you’re going to

multiply it for out your glory and it is

in Jesus name that we pray believing

this everybody agreed when they said

amen