Going Beyond Ministries with Priscilla Shirer – Supernaturally Equipped for Your Calling

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.

I’m so glad to be here okay I’ll do the
preliminary things because they’ve told

me I’m supposed to stand right here and
show you my shoes okay so I’m gonna

stand here so you can see my shoes I

never wear these shoes somebody gave
them to me as a gift and you know here

you have shoes and you just look at them
and go those are so pretty what am I

gonna do with those can’t just go to the
grocery store in store in sequins shoes

so when Miss Joyce team emailed and said
hey you need to wear good shoes y’all

should have seen me in my closet trying
to figure out what do you do with sequin

shoes but it’s it’s fun to have an
opportunity to wear them so thank you so

much miss Joyce for that I appreciate
that so much it is a privilege to be

with you guys I want to thank you for
being so kind and and receptive to me

and just so welcoming it’s always a
privilege to be able to be here I’m

always excited because I know that I’m
going to be refreshed that I’m gonna be

changed that my life is going to be
encouraged not only in the messages that

are shared for Miss Joyce and the other
members of the team that are going to be

serving as well but also just from you
individuals who have been so kind I was

thinking just about how refreshing it is
to be with all of you this week has been

a little bit of a tough week for me I
was just just had a little situation in

my life that really caused me to just
trip up a little bit with fear and a

little bit of intimidation and just
praying about that as this praying Laura

just helped me to walk and courage and
walk in confidence and not to let fear

take root at all in my life and sweet
woman just came up to me a few moments

ago and just gave me a big hug and said
I have a gift for you and and she didn’t

even know what she was doing I just
cried a little bit as she just came over

a moment ago because she gave me a gift
I don’t even know what the gift is y’all

all I know is that I looked in the
packaging and the the title or the

packaging itself the label on it says
live fearless Lee

I’ll know if it’s hand lotion I don’t
know what it is all I saw was live

fearlessly and the Holy Spirit whispered
to me I got you I got you

I’m so grateful miss Joyce thank you for
having me I’m very grateful to be here

y’all let’s pray Lord Jesus thank you so
much for your word I thank you that it

is living and active and sharper than
any two-edged sword Lord you have come

to speak to us and so I asked father
that you will I pray Lord that the words

of my mouth and the meditation of my
hearts will be acceptable I love what

Miss Joyce prayed last night father she
said do not let me say anything that is

not exactly what you want your daughters
to hear speak Lord in Jesus name Amen

as was mentioned I have the privilege of
raising three sons Jackson is 16 and

then Jerry jr. is 14 and then we have
Jude I’ve told y’all before Judas he’s

10 years old now but he’s our surprise
boy we still don’t know how Jude made it

here and we named him Jude on purpose
because that’s as close as I could get

to Revelation because honey it is
finished that is the end of the lines

Jackson Jerry jr. and Jude I took them
earlier this year to the movies that’s

one of our things we like to do is go to
a movie when one comes out that’s really

what we want to see and it’s kind of our
thing and so we went to the movies we

saw it in 3d so we sat down we are all
together at this Disney movie and and we

we started the film and after the film
was already well underway I’m talking

worth 15-20 minutes into the movie Jude
the youngest looks over at me and taps

me on the shoulder and says mom I don’t
like this movie and I said buddy why

don’t you like the movie he said I
cannot see it it is blurry why did they

make a movie in 3d but the whole thing
is blurry since the beginning of this

thing I haven’t been able to really
clearly see anything and I look down at

him and I said buddy did you take the
glasses did you take the glasses out of

the package you know that gave me those
little glasses and he said these

and I said yes but he those put them on
he puts the glasses on and he had

neglected to put on at the very
beginning and he said I love conferences

like this one opportunities like this
one because y’all what it really is

about is fitting you with the spiritual
eyewear that you need to see your life

from the perspective of how God sees you
and the story that he’s crafting through

your life and through mine the movie
that I took them to go see was

Incredibles 2 Incredibles 2 I’m not sure
if you saw that one but it was man just

as good as the first one and I loved the
storyline so much in this one mr.

incredible and his wife Elastigirl you
know they’re in the throes of taking

care of evil and sort of coming out of
retirement in order to do that but in

Incredibles to its Elastigirl that takes
the forefront she’s the one that sort of

at the helm of fighting dangers and evil
in the society and the children end up

having to get much more involved this
time man they are running across powers

that they never knew they had there
being second scenarios that are a little

bit dangerous a little bit risky lots of
adventure that they are called to sort

of be a part of and you know Elastigirl
she’s got a Mama’s heart and she’s

watching her three babies in the throes
of all of this and at one point she

turns to her husband mr. incredible and
she says they’re just children and he

says they’re children but they’re
children with power and because they

have power that makes them special and
then he said whether or not they choose

to use the power is up to them
but either way they’ve got it it occurs

to me in a room this size with women
that are actually daughters that have

placed faith in Jesus Christ were
children but y’all we ain’t just

children we’re children with power
that the Holy Spirit of God has given

you power so that whatever place of
danger or risk or adventure that you may

have been called into you need to know
that you’ve got the power to sustain you

into that place in which you have been
called and but here’s the deal whether

or not you choose to use it now that’s
up to you what I don’t want is to get to

the end of my days only to look back and
realize I had all that power but never

took advantage of it it is at least in
part to that end that I believe that

there is a portion of Scripture that men
over the past year it has spoken so

clearly to me and been a blessing in my
life I want to share it with you it is

in Luke’s Gospel if you have your Bible
and you want to turn there with me you

can’t if you know if you actually still
use the Bible with paper pages like I do

or your iPhone your iPad pad any manner
of IMS will get you to Luke chapter 9 I

think they’re gonna put it on the
screens as well I want to read verse 1

in 2 then I’m gonna jump over to verse
10 I’m gonna read verse 10 through 17

Luke chapter 9 verse 1 and 2 says this
it says and he called the twelve

together that’s Jesus he called the
twelve together he gave them power and

authority over all demons and to heal
diseases and then he sent them out to

proclaim the kingdom of God and perform
healing listen to that again this is the

disciples going on their adventure and
Jesus called he called somebody sick he

called he called the twelve together and
then he gave somebody say he days he

gave them power and he gave them
authority then verse two says and then

he sent somebody say he sent he sent
them out verse 10 says and when the

Apostles returned they gave him an
account of all that they had done and

taking them with him he was three by
himself to a city called Bethsaida and

the multitudes verse 11 says they were
aware of

they’re still they follow Jesus and
welcoming them he began speaking to them

about the kingdom of God and curing
those who had need of healing verse 12

says and the day began to decline the
twelve came and said to him Jesus please

send this multitude away they need to go
into the surrounding villages and

countryside and find lodging and get
something to eat for right here I don’t

know if you’ve noticed or not Jesus but
here we’re in a desolate place but jesus

said to them in verse 13 he said uh-uh
you give him something to eat they said

come on Jesus we have no more than five
loaves and two fish unless perhaps we go

and we buy food for all of these people
Luke wants to make sure you know that

there were 5000 men there I love the
physician Luke because he wants to tell

you the details he says five thousand
men because there were women and

children there so scholars say there
were likely 15 thousand there on that

patch of stony ground that day Jesus
said have all of them reclined in groups

of about 50 verse 15 says so they did
that had them all reclined and Jesus

took the five loaves than the two fish
and looking up to heaven he blessed them

and then he broke them and he kept
giving them to the disciples to set

before the multitude and verse 17 says
they all ate and they were all satisfied

and then they picked up the leftovers
and when they did they discovered that

there were twelve baskets full of
leftovers in this very familiar story

that many of us probably have heard or
and are in some way familiar with is a

story of a multitude of people who are
being fed they are hungry they are empty

they’re in need of nourishment and they
are more in need of an encounter with

Jesus and Jesus gives them both but I
want us to turn our attention away from

the multitude and really focus in on
these twelve disciples the disciples

those who walk with Jesus and talk with
Jesus those who are in relationship with

Jesus those who follow him the
who want to learn of Jesus the disciples

the one who’s fly halfway across the
country to come to the conference to

learn more about Jesus the disciples I
believe that this story this well loves

story and encounter miraculous encounter
that Jesus had in the scriptures man I

believe that it is it is starts not just
when the crowd gets hungry I really do

believe that it starts in verse 1 and 2
we find the disciples the twelve have an

up-close personal encounter with Jesus
we find more out more about this

particular encounter that they had in
mark chapter 6 you don’t have to turn

there but this exact same story is told
in mark chapter 6 what I love so much

about the first three books of the New
Testament is that they’re called the

synoptic Gospels Matthew Mark and Luke
synoptic meaning that there’s synergy in

the stories that are told the tone in
which they’re told the way that they uh

that the writers wrote those particular
encounters and the more you read them

the more layers of insight you can gain
about what happened in that particular

story in that particular encounter that
Jesus had we found this same story found

in mark chapter 6 and when we read mark
chapter 6 it gives us some texture to

the story it’s kind of like if someone
offered you some chocolate cake and they

gave you an option you can either have a
one layer chocolate cake or a seven

layer chocolate cake well I don’t know
what y’all gonna do but I’m gonna choose

the seven-layer chocolate cake every
single time because the more layers

there are the more rich and delectable
the experience becomes mark chapter six

is our layer of chocolate cake what we
find out is that this is the occasion

where God called Jesus called the
disciples together and do you remember

he sent them out in pairs
he sent them out two by two to the

neighboring towns and the neighboring
communities they he sent them out within

that women assignment their assignment
was that everywhere they went every

person that they encountered should walk
away with a more clear picture in their

head of who Jesus really is
they were supposed to go out in power

and authority to preach and to teach and
to perform miracles for the purpose of

authenticating that Jesus was who he
said he was and that Jesus could do

exactly what he had said that he could
do the whole point of the disciples

coming together and then being dispersed
was so that the power and authority with

which they would live their life would
mean that every person they encountered

every interaction that they had would
leave the people who they had

encountered knowing that Jesus must be
the real deal what’s the point of us

coming together just after we leave this
place every person we encounter does not

know that there must be a god somewhere
and his name is Jesus Christ

so they go out in pairs and I mean they
handle their in assignment with

integrity they are fully entrenched mark
chapter six tells us in the task that is

at hand
and after they finished the assignment

they come back to Jesus and they give
him an account so how they handled the

assignment that they had been given how
they handled the ministry that had been

entrusted to them I want to make sure
that everybody in the room knows that

they are in ministry if you have named
the name of Jesus Christ you are in

ministry don’t let someone else or the
enemy convinced you that ministry is

relegated to standing on a platform
behind a podium with a little microphone

attached to you ministry is the place
where you’ve been called to serve in the

assignment that you have been given
every one of us are representatives of

the King of Kings and the Lord of lords

so mother of small children don’t let
anybody tell you that you’re not in

ministry every single time you sit
around that dinner table with the

casserole that you prepare the new way
that you figured out to make chicken for

dinner tonight and you figure it out
successfully one more night and you sit

those kids around the table and you pray
over them and you teach them a Bible

verse before they go to bed don’t let
anybody tell you that that a ministry

and high school student when you’re
walking down the corridor of that high

school that you attend and you’re the
one that stands for righteousness in the

midst of the darkness don’t let anybody
tell you seventh grader eighth grader

freshman sophomore that you are not in
ministry and university students like

mr. Dave’s nieces he just told us about
University student when you are the only

one in the philosophy class where the
professor is telling you things and

teaching you things that are left
Center of the truth of God’s Word and

you’re the only student in the class of
300 that raises their hands and takes

them to term and lets them know that
there actually is and corporate man a

woman when you sit around that boardroom
table and you’re the only one that when

they’re talking about the projections
for the future but they lacked a smidge

of integrity or character and you’re the
one that stands for white just doesn’t

calls people back to the truth of God
don’t let anybody tell you that that a

ministry every single one of us has an
assignment and just like the disciples

the day is coming where we’re gonna have
to give an account the day is coming

sooner than we think what we’re going to
look our Savior in his face that we’re

gonna have to give an account for how we
used our time and how we used our

talents and how we use the gifts that he
entrusted to us and how we took care of

the assignments that teach and every one
of us have been called to he’s not gonna

ask me about her assignment he’s gonna
ask me about mine and he’s not gonna be

interested and how many Instagram
followers ahead

he will not be interested in how many
people weren’t my friends on Facebook

that likes the tweets that I put up he’s
only gonna ask me number one did I know

his son Jesus Christ
and then I will have to give an account

for the assignment that he called me to
and when I look my Savior in his face I

want to tell you that I am looking for

anybody interested in well done

I want to share well done which means
that my main priority can’t be to please

you your main priority cannot be to
please me our priority collectively

cannot be to garner the applause of
people our interest has to be in

garnering the applause of heaven because
the day is coming you think we’re going

to have to look our Saviour and give him
an account it has been about two months

ago on July 24th that I celebrated gosh
my 19th wedding anniversary I was out

celebrating with my husband doing what
you do when you’ve been married for

almost 20 years we we were at HomeGoods
just strolling around just enjoying an

afternoon you know with no schedule we’d
had a little bit of dinner and then we

just went ran a few errands or just kind
of walking around in in HomeGoods I was

looking forward to the whole week I had
plans the next day with really my best

friend one of my best friends my cousin
went her we had plans we were going to

go to the movies together she was gonna
drop her four girls off off at my house

so that my three boys and the four girls
their cousins they could all kind of

hang out and be together we had a plan
for the next day it was just gonna be a

fun week so I was strolling through
HomeGoods on the 24th just enjoying my

time with my man and the phone rang and
I saw that Jonathan Pitts winters

husband Jonathan Pitts his name popped
up on my phone and because their last

name is Pitts we always kind of tease
them about that I always answer the

phone and I say you’re the pig so I
answered the phone right there in an

aisle way between the kitchen towels and
the bath towels and I said you’re the

Pitts
what’s that and I just heard sobs sobs

Jonathan could barely catch his breath I
had to calm him down Jonathan what is

happening why are you crying of course I
was I was startled just because of the

intensity of the phone call as I heard
this groan

man wailing and wailing Jonathan what is
going on he said she’s not breathing

she’s not breathing I said what are you
talking about who’s not breathing he

said winter she’s not breathing
I said Jonathan what’s happening did you

call an ambulance yes they’re on their
way but Priscilla I don’t think she’s

gonna make it I’ve been doing CPR
they’ve only to live in two or three

minutes since I’ve called them they’re
on their way but I can’t I can’t get her

to respond to me she’s not breathing I
said Jonathan we’re on our way we jumped

in the car
we were about 30 minutes from where the

ambulance was taking her I called on the
way to talk to him he was being driven

in a car with some friends of ours that
I had immediately go over they were at

our house immediately had go over to
take him we arrived at the hospital and

when I arrived at the hospital I ran
down the corridor and another family

member was standing outside of the room
already leaned up against the wall and I

said to her is she breathing yet and I
knew that when Andre I looked back at me

and shook her head know that if it took
me 30 minutes to get there if she was

not yet breathing that means she
probably wasn’t going to breathe again

they let me in that little room to see
my 38 year old best friend and cousin

with four small children ages 13 and
under four girls she went from being

fine and planning a movie with me in a
play date with the kids one minute the

last message I have is from it from her
at 5:00 p.m. and it’s 6:15 p.m. God said

it’s time and she stepped out of history
into eternity and in a moment she had to

give an account I want to say to all of
you who are in the room that you do not

know the day nor the hour

and that if because you’re 35 or because
you’re 25 you think you’re pretty young

so you have a whole lot of time ahead of
you would you listen to me and listen to

me clearly that you cannot judge whether
or not you’re old or young based on your

birthdate it has to be judged based on
your death date because if you’re 25 but

you only have to you’re 36 you’re pretty
old if you’re 50 but you’ve got until

you’re 95 you’re pretty young but for
all of us since we do not know when he

will call us home since we do not know
when we’ll have to look at our savior in

his face and give him an account we
better get busy living fully the

adventure to which he had called us and
when these disciples came to Jesus the

reality is that he said to them
basically well done

he acknowledged that they had exhausted
themselves fully engaged in the task at

hand mark chapter 6 says that he
recognized that they had done the thing

that they had been busy following hard
after the assignment to which they had

been called they had done the thing
would you look at the woman next to you

and say girl do the thing

they had effective ministry so I wonder
really quickly if you don’t mind I

wondered if I could just take a rabbit
trail for a second because I found in

this story a recipe for effective
ministry I just want to open up a

parenthesis here to tell anybody who’s
interested what the recipe is for

effective ministry anybody interested
there’s a recipe here the recipe is in

those first two verses there are three
ingredients to the recipe it says first

ingredient he’s cold
then he called them all there are so

many beautiful layers here in this first
ingredient in the recipe I loved so much

that God the Father the glory of all of
God Almighty that he was willing to

clothe himself to encase himself in
flesh the purpose was so that the word

John writes could become flesh and dwell
among us so that we could behold his

glory the glory of the only begotten of
the Father Jesus made it so that he

condescended to humans so that when he
spoke the disciples could actually hear

the voice of God the Father in the
person of Jesus Christ

all that deity closed in humanity so
that he could meet us where we are he

made it so that humans could hear him
and what he did in the first century is

exactly what he does in this century
through the person of the Holy Spirit

that just like they could hear the call
of God on their life through Jesus

Christ you get the privilege to hear the
call of God for your life through the

person of the Holy Spirit God calls he
convicts he compels

he challenges throughout this conference
you’re gonna feel a pain in your gut it

will be the Holy Spirit saying go and
here’s the thing about the hope about

these disciples when they heard the call
of Jesus when Jesus said you go out in

pairs and authenticate Who I am
through the deeds that I’m giving you

power and authority to carry out when
they

to call of Jesus there was no other
earthly ambition that they had that

superseded the calling of Jesus on their
lives when they heard the call of Jesus

they laid everything else down to pursue
what it was that Jesus had asked them to

do may it never be that we have
ambitions that are higher than the

ambitions of God’s calling for us may we
always be willing to lay down our nets

to leave behind prior ambitions to do
what it is that God’s God has called us

to do may his calling in your ears and
in your heart be like fire shut up in

your bones to where you can’t not do
what God has called you to do Lord

forgive us
when because of hubris our pride or

arrogance we have left your calling to
pursue a calling that was never ours to

pursue forgive us father when we have
tried to walk in shoes that were

somebody else’s shoes to wear forgive us
father when we try to walk down the lane

that was never our lane to walk down
when he calls accept and celebrate your

calling and then I love that when he
called them he didn’t just jump to the

third ingredient he didn’t call him and
then send them I loved it before he sent

them the second ingredient in the recipe
is that he gave them power come on

somebody say power and he gave them
authority which means they did not have

to be afraid that they were not equipped
for the calling because even if as miss

Joyce taught us last night they did not
have the natural capacity to sustain

them in the calling he entrusted them
supernaturally with the power and

authority they would need to succeed in
the assignment that he gave them in

other words he does not call you because
you are already equipped he calls you

and then for those that will say yes sir
he will equip you with exactly

what you need to sustain you in the
calling that you have been given can I

tell you that there is a very real enemy
and the enemy hopes you will go in your

own power he hopes that you will go in
your own authority he hopes you will

think and I will think that we are
gifted enough or talented enough or

savvy enough or you impressive enough
what he does not what is a woman who has

chosen to rest not in her laurels but in
the power and the authority that has

been trusted her by Almighty God it is
the anointing and the favor of God on

your life that will sustain you in the
calling to which you have been sent and

called it is his supernatural endowment
his entrusting of power and authority in

you that will make you the mother that
you’re supposed to be the wife that

you’re supposed to be the single woman
that you’re supposed to be the career

woman that you’re supposed to be the
entrepreneur that you’re supposed to be

the woman in ministry that you’re
supposed to be whatever it is that he

has called you to do it do he will give
you exactly what you need to be

victorious and successful in that task

so he called them there’s the first
ingredient then he entrusted them with

power and authority Oh y’all the power
is there whether or not you choose to

use it is up to you and then third
ingredient he sent them listen he’s the

one that did the sending resist the urge
to send yourself to do an assignment

that it is not yet time for because just
as important as your calling is itself

so too is the is the timing in which
that assignment is out worked in your

life because if you give birth too soon
to an assignment that it is not yet time

for you will abort the character that he
was trying to build in you you will

abort the spiritual backbone the
maturity that was going to be necessary

to sustain you in the assignment to
which you have been called it listen the

spotlight that you may be craving if
that spotlight hits you and you have no

character that light will burn you to a
crisp so wait until God Cisco Lord make

us patient enough to wait for the time
and the season that you have called us

to do what you have asked us to do so
the disciples after being called after

being entrusted with power and authority
after being sent in the timing of Jesus

they go to give it their best they give
it their all they handle well the

assignment as disciples that they have
been called to handle they come back and

they give them an account
Jesus says man y’all done well and

you’re tired he acknowledges that they
are plain old flat out any disciples in

the house tired
cuz man you haven’t been doing the thing

perfectly but you’ve been doing it
purposefully your marriage your children

and your job the ministry man you’ve
been trying your best you’ve been doing

it diligently you’ve come to this
conference and you are plain old flat

out time you’re so glad that all of
these sessions are gonna happen today

but you’re you’re debating because you
just you know that you could take a nap

cuz you’re tired
anybody come on now Jesus recognizes

their exhaustion here’s what I love
about this whole encounter Jesus has

with these exhausted depleted disciples
who by the way Jesus recognizes in mark

chapter six he says y’all haven’t even
had time to eat he says you’re hungry

too you haven’t even had time to eat I
have never been that busy

anybody ever I don’t get that busy I’m
the kind of girl that I’m not gonna

order a salad and have slow water to be
cute mhm

i’ma order the biggest plate of nachos
they got and then when I’m finished i’ma

scan your plate for any leftovers but
the disciples had not even had time to

eat here’s what I love about Jesus
encounter with the tired depleted

exhausted the disciples he does not say
to them y’all go away from me take a nap

get yourselves together then come back
and I’ll use you he says come away cuz

you do need rest but come away with me
don’t go away from me come away with me

in other words the cure for your
exhaustion is intimacy with Jesus that’s

the cure you’re looking for so take a
holiday take a sabbatical take a

vacation step back for a little while so
you can get yourself together from the

ministry or your job or that endeavor
but but when you take the holiday don’t

take a holiday from Jesus
the actual oppression that you’re

looking for cannot be found apart from
an intimate servant close up

relationship with the lover of your soul
intimacy with him is the cure for your

exhaustion so he says to them come away
with me 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
he takes the disciples on a retreat so

they can be replenished and refueled
he’s taking them on a holiday so when

they arrive on the little patch of stony
ground outside of the town of Bethsaida

and there are 15,000 people waiting for
them you can imagine how perplexed the

disciples must have been Jesus you said
for us to come away with you you said

there was gonna be something in us and
then for us you said we were gonna be

replenished and refueled Hill here and
Jesus of course in his sovereignty

sovereignty means he’s seen the end from
the beginning sovereignty means he stood

in eternity past and he has seen all of
time from its beginning all the way to

the end of the spectrum of time which we
have not yet seen and he has seen into

eternity future sovereignty means not
only that he’s seen the whole time

spectrum of time and eternity
sovereignty means he’s got the whole

thing in the palm of his hands which
means your life and mine which is a blip

on the radar screen of the spectrum of
time and eternity is also in the palm of

his hand if you believe in the
sovereignty of God it’s what allows you

to do what Psalm 46:10 says be still
cease to strive chill out

and know that I am God so he knew what
the disciples could have never known in

his sovereignty jesus knew that he was
taking the tired disciples to a place

where there was going to be a multitude
waiting on them when they got there it

was not a mistake it was of the
sovereign design of God which means

there must have been something in that
multitude that was going to be

refreshing for the disciples it tells us
that this that well-loved biblical

encounter is not just about the
multitude getting fit it’s about the

disciples getting fed it tells us that
the five loaves and the two fish was the

gift to the multitude but it’s that
multitude that is the gift to the

disciples there’s something about that
multitude placing a demand on them

something that is out of their control
and beyond their capacity something that

they do not feel like they have the
capacity to handle it’s that multitude

that is actually going to enable the
disciples to finally pull out the

treasure that they’ve been ignoring and
acting like it’s completely

insignificant
it’s the multitude that is gonna have

them see what it looks like to place
their little bit into the hands of a

multiplying master and watch him perform
a miracle that is going to blow their

minds it’s the multitude that’s gonna
have them access the power and authority

that has been given to them by Jesus and
see what it looks like to operate in the

power and authority that is rightfully
theirs without the multitude they would

never have the opportunity to experience
the power of God that has been entrusted

to them I’m talking to anybody that’s
got a multitude in your life that there

is something pressing on you that is
you out there is a struggle in your

marriage your finances are in your
health or on your job and it’s more than

you can handle the multitude is beyond
your natural capacity the good news is

when you come face to face with a
sovereignly ordained multitude that

means the multitude is your gift because
the multitude is gonna have you start

accessing power and authority and
treasure that you would have discounted

before it’s gonna have you look at the
five loaves and the two fish that little

gifts that little talent that little
finance that little energy that little

patience that little idea that little
creativity that you thought was so

useless before you’re gonna pull it out
the multitude go make you pull it out

the multitude is your gift did you
notice that in verse 12 the disciples

say Jesus send the multitude away and we
don’t just say it we pray it in Jesus

name and by the power of Almighty God I
speak to the multitude Lord take this

multitude away and we don’t even know
that we’re praying away this thing that

is our gift in verse 12 the disciples
are praying away if you look they are

praying away at what in verse 11 Jesus
just welcomed it says in verse 11 he

welcomed the multitude 1 verse later the
disciples are praying away what they

don’t even know is their gift resist the
urge to wish away what God has welcomed

into your experience instead say Lord
don’t take it away if there’s something

in it for me Lord instead fit me with
the right eye wear the right spiritual

hour that will help me to see this 3ds X
you’re right Lord don’t let this

multitude be taken away until I say see
and mine from it every single treasure

every single gift every single nuance
that’s gonna build my life Lord that’s

gonna help me to access this power and
authority Lord don’t let this multitude

leave my life until I milk it for every
single thing you

jesus said to the disciples the exact
same thing I want to say to you today he

said verse 13 you give them something to
eat everything your multitude needs is

already in your hand you don’t need
something else something more something

different what you need you’ve already
got pull it out tap into the power and

authority of the Holy Spirit of God that
is already on the inside of you so

finally the disciples they take their
little bit and they place it in the

hands listen I place it in the hands of
Jesus you need to know that everything

changes when you take your little bit
and give it back to God Jesus took the

little meager gifts of man thank you
Lord he took them a little bit that they

had and looking up to heaven he blessed
it you don’t need more

you just need God’s blessing on the five
loaves and the two fish you’ve already

you don’t need more time you don’t need
more still you don’t need necessarily

more resource all that you need is God’s
blessing his favor his anointing his

God’s favor is what opens up doors

god bless the five loaves and the two
fish and then he broke it and then he

kept handing it out to the disciples and
it kept going and it kept going and it

kept going and going and they had no
idea that disciples couldn’t figure out

where all of this resource was coming
from they just had this and now it keeps

going and going their patience just
exponentially their resources their

ideas their creativity their gifts their
talent everything that they need was

already in their hands they just they
just had to give it to Jesus and now the

entire multitude is sustained and verse
17 says that when everybody ate and just

in case you’re not clear on what kind of
meal this is they want you to know

everybody ate to the point of
satisfaction they were filled up to

overflowing and after everybody got a
good old Sunday afternoon kind of meal

they picked up the leftovers and there
were twelve baskets full twelve baskets

there was one basket for each disciple
to take home as a reminder of the great

power of God to make I believe in your
life

Lord Jesus multiply our resources do it
for your glory it is in Jesus name that

we pray amen