“Still the One” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

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hey family I’m pastor Tori Hester Sarah

we just want to greet you before you get

ready to watch this powerful message we

believe it’s going to change your life

we’ve been praying for you and we also

want you to partner with us in changing

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invested a lot into technology so that

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and innovative in creative ways but we

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that’s right you’re about to watch this

video that is going to tremendously

bless you

but what you don’t get to see is how

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been very intentional in this season to

to partner with organizations and

support them financially that are making

a difference considering their crisis so

we just thank you they’re giving

instructions on the screen here partner

with us and let’s get into this word I’m

going to be speaking out of Colossians 3

I’ve got one scripture that I want to

start with but I have a few other

scriptures that I’m going to be pulling

from as I build out this thought so be

patient with me so I’m going to be

Colossians 3 simply verse – this isn’t

an unfamiliar text but it’s one that God

has really been dealing with me about

and hopefully it’s going to add some

wisdom and depth to your journey and

walk right now verse 2 begins it says

set your mind on things above not on

things on the earth to set your mind on

things above not on things on the earth

father God you have given me clear

instructions for days now you’ve been

uttering this word to me and so father I

just pray that you would allow this word

to come forth exactly as you need it to

come forth that you would use every part

of me father to deliver this word and

that you would leave nothing on

table father opened our hearts open our

minds remove our excuses and

distractions that we may face from this

word and become better as a result of it

in Jesus name I pray amen you know I’ve

been thinking in this subject for this

message for those of you who like to

take notes is to make up your mind make

up your mind which actually sounds a

little bit easier than it actually is I

think one of the greatest challenges

that anyone in a relationship or

friendship experiences is that question

about like what do you want to eat like

why is that one of the greatest

challenges in a relationship sure there

are all of these other finances and

character and integrity but one

consistent whether you’re in a healthy

relationship or in a toxic relationship

one of the recurring issues is being

indecisive over what you want to eat and

I am guilty of having this problem my

husband always asks me what do you want

to eat and I’m like I don’t care but the

thing is I do care I want to eat fat

food he wants to eat healthy food and I

don’t want to be penalized for my

choices so I say nothing at all and then

I sit there and I eat the kale with the

olive oil and the lemon made lemon

dressing and I just suffer because I was

too afraid to say what was actually on

my mind this notion of making up your

mind I think sometimes we don’t like to

deal with the consequences that come

with making up our mind as I was

studying for this message I kept hearing

over and over again that we are in this

season of being established and when God

is establishing us there are some

decisions that we have to make but

sometimes we’re hesitant to make those

decisions because we don’t want to deal

with the consequences I know I should

set my mind on this thing I know I

should set my mind

that thing but what happens if my

friendships fall off what happens if I’m

not sure how I’m going to be able to

connect in those groups and categories

and industries anymore and so we don’t

set our minds at all not recognizing

that even our indecisiveness is a mental

state as being indecisive is setting our

mind in James it says a double minded

man is unstable in all of his ways it

doesn’t say that a double minded men

cannot build it just means that whatever

that double-minded man builds is

unstable so what if even an hour

indecisiveness we think we aren’t

building but we are actually building

something it’s just something that isn’t

stable and when God kept telling me that

we were going to be talking about

establishing in this season what he was

saying to me is that I’m bringing my

people into a season where I want them

to be stable I want them to be solid I

want them to be established and so we

cannot be established unless we’re

willing to confront the areas in our

life where we are unstable I used to

live in this planned community in Texas

when I was a single mother and I just

had this dream of homeownership and I

saved and I pinched and my dream was to

live in this night plan community of

tract homes where you know your kids

could walk to the school bus and they

were friends with the neighbors and I

finally got this house and I can

remember that when I finally got the

house that there was a lot across the

street that was empty and I used to

think that myself oh my goodness it’s

going to be so hard living beside all of

this construction and it’s going to be

so noisy what I didn’t realize though

was how quickly they built those homes

they build them so fast that the noise

isn’t actually even that bad because

they just spring up so rapidly but there

is this season where they don’t just

build every single day because they lay

the foundation and when you lay the

foundation of the home you don’t lay

this on

and then build on it the next day

because if you build on the foundation

before it’s ready you run the risk of

cracking the foundation and if the

foundation is crack than anything you

build on that house runs the risk of

being ruined there are so many of us who

look at the houses and the lives that we

see that have been built and we think to

ourselves I want a house like that but

the reality is what we really need to be

asking is I wonder if there’s any cracks

in those foundations

I wonder what had to happen in order for

that house to stand as tall as its

standing I look at some of my mentors in

the faith and we’re going through this

pandemic and I call them my spiritual

grandfather and I I checked on him

because you know he’s got a church and

they’re a little compared to us I guess

you’d call it a little bit old school

but it’s a Holy Ghost sanctified Church

and I text him to ask him how things

were going with the pandemic and having

to do things virtual and he says honey

we’re just adjusting because they have

so much foundation that they don’t let

these things come and just shake them

and I just feel that prophetically for

you you’re watching this video and

you’ve been shaking and there’s nothing

wrong with being shaken but there comes

a moment when God says I’m showing you

where you’re being shaken not so that I

can scare you and not so that you are

it’s not so that you will no longer

build but rather so that you can

understand where the cracks are so that

when you build the next time I feel that

for somebody I don’t know who you are

you got a little bit shaken up and you

realize that there was a crack in your

foundation and instead of fixing the

crack in your foundation you decided

instead that I won’t build on it at all

and I hear God saying that he revealed

the crack in your foundation so that you

would come to a place where you realize

that that crack was exposed so that it

could be fixed addressed and I could

build again I feel that for somebody

it’s building season I feel the Spirit

of God on that like something I’ve never

felt before that God is establishing new

leadership he’s establishing new

Trailblazers he’s establishing new ways

of being

your family new ways of being in your

community

and you think the fact that you have a

crack in your foundation has

disqualified you and I hear God’s saying

the only way I can build you up to the

next dimension is if I expose to you

where the cracks in your foundation are

you see God isn’t like these master

builders who starts off with the blank

canvas when God gets ready to build you

up he has to take inventory of what you

brought to him when you come to God you

already have paradigms built when you

come to God you already have the

ideologies when you come to that you

already have a perspective on who you

are and I hear God’s saying that when

you came to me there were some cracks in

your foundation and in order for me to

build you up into who I’ve called you to

be not who your mother called you to be

not who your sister called you to be not

who your church called you to be not who

your community called you to be but I

want to build you up into what I saw and

so you have to be willing to let God

demolish what you have built if it means

that you can become who God has called

you to be I hear that song playing in my

head now I want to be where you are at

what point do you say I am so desperate

to be where you are that even if you

demolish everything I’ve built

if you’ve demolished my dream if you

demolish my idea of what my life should

look like but it means that I get to be

with you God you can tear it down God

you can tear down anything in me that

doesn’t look like what you’re trying to

build in me I’m not in love with any job

I’m not in love with any career I’m not

in love with any dream more than I am in

love with being where you are because I

recognize there is provision when I am

where you are there is protection when I

am where you are and there has to come

this desperation down on the inside of

us where we say to ourselves father I

want you to help me look at the

foundation that has produced Who I am

our mind is the foundation of who we are

as a man thinketh so is he that is the

foundation that we build our lives on I

can tell what you think about yourself

based on the relationships you’re in I

can tell what you think about yourself

based on the thoughts that come out

your mouth by the way you communicate

with other people by the way you handle

other people’s heart it says to me how

you communicate with yourself and how

you handle your heart because as a man

thinketh that’s why the Internet is

really such an interesting place because

you get to see people’s thoughts and

you’re thinking that they’re attacking

you they’re not attacking you attack is

the way that they speak attack is the

way that they communicate with

themselves

the thoughts that you receive our a

reflection of the thoughts that are down

on the inside of them as a man thinketh

so was he and so when God gets ready to

transform us he starts with our mind be

ye transformed by the renewing of your

mind your mind already has this shape

your mind already has a rhythm and God

says if I’m going to renew you you have

to be willing to lay down your mind

lay down your way of doing things lay

down your way of functioning so that we

can determine what’s worth sticking

because when God looks at you God

doesn’t just look at what you want him

to see God doesn’t even look at where

you are all God sees is what he created

I feel the presence of God on that

somebody needs to know that when you

look at you you see all of the things

you did wrong you see all of the things

that you could have done better and you

end up stuck because you can’t see

beyond what happened to you and what you

did and who violated you and who hurt

you and who you hurt and who you need to

forgive and so you don’t move because

you can’t see past that but what you

need to know is that when God looks at

you he only sees what he saws I’m going

to prove it to you in Isaiah it says

Isaiah 43 I think it is verse 25 they’re

going to put it on the screen for me it

says I even I this is God speaking to

the Prophet he says and he who blots out

your transgressions for my own sake and

I will not remember your sins God says

when I look at you I blotted out of my

mind because I cannot allow for what I

have seen when I formed you in your

mother’s womb to be diluted by the sins

that you have made that says I can

forgive you and I can help you to grow

and I can help you to become better and

the reason why I can do that is because

I only see you

your highest potential I gotta say that

the way it’s hitting in my spirit

because I want you to understand that

the reason God has called you the reason

why God is using you the reason why God

positions you has nothing to do with

what you have gone through it has

nothing to do with even what you see

when you look in the mirror and it has

everything to do with what he saw when

he formed you in your mother’s womb I

hear God saying I only see good when I

look at you

I only see perfection when I look at you

I only see you at your highest potential

when I look at you God says I only see

what I created and it breaks to my heart

when you have missteps and it breaks my

heart when you mess up not because I

don’t believe better but because I know

you’re better than that

you’re better than the way you’re acting

you’re better than the way you’re

thinking he gets upset with depression

he gets upset with anxiety he gets upset

when you’re hurt not because he feels

like he devalues you because he knows

you’re better than that

and so God says I’m gonna give you power

to rise to what I see I’m gonna give you

authority to rise to what I see I’m

gonna give you vision so you will be

hungry for what I see there comes a

point in your life when you have an

encounter with God where you start to

get curious about what it is that God

sees God how could you keep using me how

could you keep favoring me how could you

keep positioning me and God says you’re

wondering how but it’s all I ever saw I

saw that when you were a little boy I

saw that when you were a little girl I

saw that when they walked away from you

I saw that when they turned their back

on you you wanted them and I wanted you

because I knew what I place down on the

inside of you and when you come to a

place where you make up your mind that I

am who God says I am I can do what God

says I can do my pastors behind me my

future is ahead of me and I want to

figure out what it is that he knew God

what is it that you see when you look at

me and I set my mind on that that’s

where I have to live and it doesn’t mean

that I don’t get off track and it

doesn’t mean that I don’t have moments

when I slip up but I have to know where

I set in my mind so that when I get lost

I can remember where home is so that

when I get frustrated I can remember

where homie

there’s a place that God carved out for

me and this place that he carved out for

me this world doesn’t even understand it

but I’ve made a decision to be who that

person is and so we set our mind on

things above recognizing that when we do

that that God reveals to us what he

place down on the inside of us when Paul

is speaking to the church in Colossians

in these letters they’re coming to a

point where they are being established

as a church now this is important

because when we think about being

established as a church especially when

we’re in Pentecost week sometimes our

modern and Western Way of thinking

allows us to believe that being

established as a church means that we

need a building fund this isn’t what

Paul is talking about Paul is talking

about establishing the mindset of you

being the hands and feet of God

establishing the mindset that means that

even if I’m not in a building I

recognize that I am a part of the church

I am a part of what God is doing in the

earth I am a part of a kingdom that that

started in heaven and touches down to

the earth its expansion expands down

into the earth and so Paul is trying to

get these people ready to understand

this new calling this new identity that

he has called them into and I feel like

this is so important for someone because

you’re stepping into this new dimension

of who God has called you to be you’re

stepping into this new Authority you’re

stepping into this new level of

leadership where you have to be willing

to set your mind the days of you being

indecisive and not knowing which way you

should go and what you should believe

and what you should think I hear God

saying that’s coming to an end because

in order for me to build you in this

next season you need to be established

and if you’re going to be established

then you have to be willing to set your

mind and so Paul says I’m calling you

out from amongst the world that you know

so that you can understand the new world

that you are engaging in doesn’t that

sound just like where we are right now

God is calling us out

what we’ve always known and now we have

to be established in a new normal when

this first started we were all trying to

figure out what it was and we were

Netflix and chilling and snacking but

now that this has become our new way of

living there are some people who have

decided I can’t just keep floating by

anymore

waiting to see what the headlines are

going to have to say I’m gonna have to

establish myself in the midst of this

new world but where do I begin and

Colossians is very clear when it says to

us that the way for us to begin is to

start with having a set mindset I want

to ask you a question if you’re taking

notes I want you to ask yourself this

question and I want you to review it

after this message is over and to really

ask yourself where you align that

question is what is the foundational

thought of your existence and can it

live in the presence of God what is the

foundational thought of your existence

the foundational thought of my existence

if I had to put it simply and not have

this long run-on sentence if I had to

put it simply it would be I want to be

where God is I want to be where God is

and and we have to know what the

foundational thought of our existence is

because we may deduce it down to

something that this world understands

but that can’t live in the presence of

God the foundational thought of your

existence can’t be I want to get married

and I want to build wealth and that’s an

overflow type of mindset but the

foundational thought of your existence

what is it that drives you what is it

that pushes you forward what is that

thought that that challenges you and

your greatest moments

what is that thought I want to be where

God is and I want to be connected with

people who share that same foundational

thought because what I am connected with

people who share that same foundational

thought then when I start slipping they

can pull me back to where I am supposed

to be I need to be in relationship

whether it’s in my church or in my

friendships or romantically

with people who share that same

foundational thought I love this church

because I am convinced that one of the

foundational thoughts of this movement

is that we take territory for the

kingdom that we go in this space is

where they said we shouldn’t be and we

show up and we put up a banner that says

we’re supposed to be here because God

has called me to be here I love me a

gangster Christian I love somebody who

doesn’t mind saying I don’t care what

you thought about everyone who came

before me I don’t care what you thought

about what I should look like or what I

should sound like what I care about is

taking territory what I care about is

healing broken hearts what I care about

is making sure the homeless are fed what

is the foundational thought foundational

thought people get together and they

start building things that they could

have never built on their own but

because we think the same way and we

have the same foundation we start

building things that can’t be shaken I

want to prophesy for a moment that God

is gonna start bringing people into your

life who shared that same foundational

thought for their existence so that you

can begin building I want to prophesy I

don’t know who you are but you have been

looking for partnership and I hear God

saying that your partnership is going to

come when you stop looking at what

someone has on the outside and start

asking them questions like what is the

foundational thought for your existence

I don’t care where you work I don’t care

how tall you are I don’t care what your

degree says or how many zeros you have

in the bank account what I want to know

is what is the foundational thought for

your existence because you can be fine

and unstable but if you know who God is

and you have a foundational thought for

the kingdom and you have a foundational

thought for what God is going to do you

may be in an apartment today but I

rad was doing that apartment outright

would stay homeless I read what you no

matter where we go because we got a

foundational thought that can not be

shaken and we’re not looking at what the

world can see wondering that what God

wants to feel my husband all the time

you and the kids end up in a minivan but

we still have to sound a stuff out for

why God brought us together then we will

tell hell no on the sidewalk and we will

tell hell no until the kingdom

no matter where we go because we say

they share this same thought and you

need to get with somebody who says it’s

a foundational coffee I once attended my

organization because you share the same

thought I want you to be information

what is the foundational thought of your

existence and can it live in the

presence of God you gotta make up your

mind your mind doesn’t just come

together you make your mind you set your

mind on things above and then you get in

line with other people who know how to

build the way that you build I feel

something on that I need someone who

understands what I’m building I need

someone who understands what wakes me up

in the morning I need someone I

understand that this is bigger than me

that this is bigger than what other

people can see that my identity and God

is resting on whether or not I say yes

my identity and God is resting on

whether or not I create I’m not doing it

so that it can hit a list I’m not doing

it so that I can become famous I’m doing

it because God placed it down on the

inside of me and I have no other choice

I have no other choice it’s got to come

out of me I have no other choice I gotta

produce and I need someone who is

dressed

to do what God has called them to do you

indecisive somewhere else right now I’m

in this season where I need to be

established and I need to be around

someone else who was playing a

foundation that cannot be shaken I can’t

smoke my way out of this one I can’t sex

my way out of this one

I can’t drink my way out of this one I

need something that cannot be shaken

because when the winds blow and the flag

drops I’m gonna still be standing cuz I

built my life on something that cannot

be shaken

[Music]

I gotta build on what cannot be shaken

and that’s why Paul sends this letter to

the Church of Colossians because he says

I’m investing my life in this and if I’m

going to invest my life in this I gotta

build a church that cannot be shaken and

I gotta show you how to build by how you

think and I got to show you how to think

by where you set your mind all different

types that thoughts can come to you but

can those thoughts live in the place

that you have set so Paul says I need to

give them instructions on how to set

their mind and as I was reading this

text I just studied this one word you

know me usually I have several

scriptures but there was something about

this one word set set set and being

established it kept ringing in my mind

he kept showing up no matter where I was

it says set your mind on things above

what this says to me is this first of

all Paul came to where that church of

Colossians was he came to them God sent

a word to them but God does not bring

you a word to keep you where you are God

didn’t even send Jesus down to earth to

keep us where we were he sent Jesus down

to the earth because Jesus was on a

mission to ultimately reconnect us back

to God God meets you where you are but

it is for the intent of taking you to

where he is I want to be where you are

thank you for coming to where I am but

now take me to where you are what if

that became my prayer god I thank you

for coming to me where I was father I

thank you for meeting me in the middle

of this pain thank you for meeting me in

the middle of this anxiety but father

now that you have met me God allow your

power to lift me from where you met me

allow your power to break me up father

so that I can be removed break

the ground for where from where I’ve

been planted so that I could be planted

where I need to be and I studied this

word set and it’s funny because if

you’ve ever studied these words in the

Bible it starts off English and then

it’s Greek or Hebrew depending on which

word you’re looking at and then they

have all of these different references

for the word our English Bible is a

translation that started in the Greek

and so when we look at this text we have

to be willing to figure out what was the

original intent of the author so it says

set but that word in the Greek when I

looked it up and I’m going to break it

down I’m gonna give you three of the

words because it kept breaking it down

until we got to the root that first part

of it says exercise so when I greeked it

that word set says exercise exercise

your mind on things above I love that

because what that communicates to me is

that it’s not always easy to just set

your mind sometimes setting your mind is

an exercise sometimes setting your mind

is that’s being able to say I’m going to

have to exert my mind to things above

I’m going to have to stretch my mind to

things above I know that you are saved

and sanctified filled with the Holy

Ghost and this is not your testimony so

just take this part of the message and

send it to somebody else who struggles

with being petty like I do and tell them

sis petty may be where you are but petty

is not where you are supposed to be and

if you don’t start exercising your mind

you’re going to stay stuck you have to

be willing to exert your mind I wonder

how that shows up when we start talking

about things like forgiveness

forgiveness is not necessarily natural

what does that mean when it starts

talking about our tendency to have low

self-esteem I’m I’m going to have to

stretch my mind it won’t happen all oh

it won’t happen overnight I’m gonna have

to stretch in my mind to get there I’m

gonna have to exert my mind and there

may be some moments when I exert

minding my mind can’t take it anymore

but I wake up the next day and I stretch

it again I wake up the next day and I’d

exert it again because I recognize that

the only way that I can build the muscle

necessary for my mind to be set on

things above this is if I start

stretching my mind we have a podcast on

called woman evolves and there’s a

segment of the podcast called rescue

even we call it rescue Eve because the

goal is to get people to stretch their

mind and to see things that maybe we’re

vilifying in the news in a different

direction in a different perspective

because there’s something about exerting

your mind you’re taking notes I want you

to write that down when you exert your

mind you stretch your mind to do what

Jesus would do and to think how Jesus

would think and to show up the way that

Jesus would show up and it is an

exercise it doesn’t come naturally to

you so don’t penalize yourself for not

being where you are supposed to be but

be willing to stretch yourself until you

become it but it didn’t stop there

because after it’s talked about us

exercising our mind and then says to

check out another Greek word that would

better translate that word that they

translated into exercise and that was

RAM in so setting your mind is

exercising your mind and then reining

your mind in I love that because it’s

like I said a little bit earlier you’re

going to have moments when you start

having all different types of thoughts

coming your way all different types of

ways that thinking especially on social

media social media I think is one of the

greatest distractions and greatest

highways of thoughts that anyone can

ever be exposed to because one minute

we’re grieving what happened with George

Floyd the next minute we’re looking at

somebody’s cute baby the next minute

we’re hungry it’s a highway of thoughts

and every now and then you have to rein

your mind and I feel like someone needs

to know that there are moments when you

allow to many thoughts to exist in your

world and that it is your responsibility

to rein your mind in it is your

responsibility to be aware and

intentional enough to know when you need

to unplug when you need to get in their

presence

of God rain your mind into things above

sometimes you got to shut it all down

and turn on worship music shut it all

down and turn on a message because my

mind is swirling with all of these

different scenarios and all of these

different issues and what if and and how

come and what if I am this and what if

I’m that and I hear God’s saying

rain your mind in rain it in and be okay

with being able to say that I need to

rain my mind in as I was studying for

this message one of the things that I

learned that I literally didn’t know is

that science is beginning to show that

our human brains are wired towards a

negative bias that means that we lean a

little negative it says that this is

probably a part of the early human

history that we had to pay attention to

bad dangerous and negative threats in

order to survive and those who were more

attuned with those dangers paid more

attention to bad things around them they

were more likely to survive and so now

that mindset has been passed down from

generation to generation and that’s why

it’s important that this Texas to set

your mind on things above because if you

allow your mind to be set by the culture

or the family or the community that you

live in then you may be setting your

mind towards something that keeps you

from becoming who God has called you to

be

or setting your mind on things that keep

you from really showing up in your

purpose and showing up in the kingdom

the way that you are supposed to be

there is no shame and knowing that I

need to reign in my mind and I want to

say this because I felt like as a church

as that not just this church but as the

body of Christ that we’ve had some

moments in some theologies that made us

believe that there was something wrong

with therapy but if you were going to

reign in your mind and I want to

challenge you that you may need help

bringing in your mind and there’s

nothing wrong with that it may take some

medication for you to reign in your mind

and there’s nothing wrong with that

because if you have to come to a place

where you are willing to say I will do

whatever it takes for my mind to be set

on things above and if my brain has a

chemical imbalance that keeps me from

setting my mind on things above

I need to get that fixed so that I can

become who God has called me to be they

say that God doesn’t need medicine but

God created doctors and created medicine

and sometimes we do need medication in

order for us to become no.1 it’s time

for you to reign your mind in and don’t

be afraid to ask for help

and then the last thing so that word

said once again in the Greek it broke

down to exercise and then it told me to

reference another word that was rain in

and there was another word that it told

me to reference and this is when it

stopped and it literally says stop to

fence in or stop that is the final word

to stop your mind on things above man

that was so powerful to me when I read

it because it made me realize that your

mind has to have a stopping point my

mind was racing when I first got this

message and I felt like God was saying

you know this is what I want you to

preach about I want you to preach about

what it requires for us to really make

our minds up we get up in our morning in

the morning and we make up our bed some

of us do we make up our bed in the

morning and it takes a little work and

that’s why some of us don’t do it

because we’re getting back in it why

would we make it up because of the work

required to make up your bed sometimes

we don’t do it imagine the work that

goes into making up in your mind it does

take work but there is the stopping

point and this text shows us that when

we stop our mind on things above that

the presence of God is what allows our

mind to become his mind why is it that

he would tell us Paul to set our mind on

things above unless at the end of the

day God was trying to give us his mind

man what an honor and privilege it is to

have access to the mind of God that says

when you set your mind on things above

when you make up your mind that my mind

is going to be set on what’s above that

I don’t just leave you there that I get

to give you an exchange

so I gotta get my mind to God I gotta

get my heart to God I gotta give myself

to God I’ve allowed my mind to be with

depression I’ve allowed my mind to be

with my insecurities I’ve allowed my

mind to be with my fears for long enough

now I have to set my mind on things

above I have to be who God has called me

to be because there is a gift waiting

for me there all throughout the Bible

that talks about how God wants to give

us a divine exchange how he has mystery

stored up for those who search him out

who seek Him who look for him so I got

his said my mind on things above so I

can receive his mind my mind stops in

the presence because when my mind stops

in the presence his mind is what I

receive in it instead have you ever been

worshiping and in that moment you were

worshiping in that moment you were

listening to this message you started

thinking to yourself man it’s so funny

when I came into this I was so heavy but

now I’m coming out of it and I feel like

I have enough strength I have enough

vision I have enough faith that I’m

going to be okay that the creativity is

going to come that’s not just because we

had this trance it’s because you came

into the presence of God and when you

came into the presence of God he gave

you his mind instead

I remember in Isaiah actually gave them

this text and the prophet Isaiah Isaiah

is talking about when the King Josiah

died it says in the year that King

Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a

throne high and lifted up and the Train

of his robe filled the temple above it

stood Seraphim each one had six wings

two he covered his face and the two he

covered his feet so you wasn’t looking

the Seraphim they weren’t looking and

they weren’t moving but the other two

they were using to fly so in this

instance they got angels in the presence

of the Lord and the angels aren’t

looking in the angels feet they aren’t

moving the only thing they’re doing is

doing enough to stay up in the presence

of God that’s what happens when we’re in

the presence he elevates us enough that

our eyes don’t matter our path doesn’t

matter but in this moment all that

matters is that we stay up and then it

says that these two seraphim’s were just

crying to one another holy holy holy is

the Lord of hosts the whole earth is

full of his glory holy holy holy

these Saracens for a moment they were

wrapped up in what when they saw the

earth they didn’t see the races and when

they saw the earth they didn’t see the

pain when they solved the earth they

didn’t see a pandemic when they saw the

earth they didn’t see division all they

saw was that the earth was full of God’s

glory it doesn’t mean that that glory

had been manifested it just meant that

the earth was so full of potential for

God’s glory so much potential that when

they saw it all they could do is stay in

the presence of God and say holy holy

holy holy and I hear God saying that I’m

looking for some people who don’t mind

looking at my presence and seeing the

earth the way that I see it and being

the ones who are willing to establish

the glory

this earth is meant to carry this earth

is meant to carry glory the same things

those Arabs were saying in that moment

they’re saying right now I bet you if we

could look into the windows of heaven

then we would see angels looking down on

the earth saying holy holy holy holy the

Lord of Hosts their art is full of God’s

glory the earth is full of God’s glory

and you are God’s glory

you are God’s plan you are God’s

strategy you are God’s idea and you

gotta make up your mind that I am God’s

strategy in the earth and so I have to

show up with my mind stayed on Jesus so

that I could run this race so I can

bridge this gap so that I can eradicate

hate this is my job this is my role and

I do it not because I believe in what I

see on this earth but I believe it

because my mind is set on things above

and so when I look at this earth I look

at it the same way the Seraphim steer

and I said God there’s so much room for

your glory here by there’s so much room

for transformation there’s so much room

for change you’re watching this message

I want you to type I’m God strategy I’m

God strategy I’m God strategy I’m God

strategy I want you to start prophesying

that over where you are right now

God unleash your strategy over where I

am right now father I’m ready to set in

my mind on things above I want to pray

with you I want to pray that in this

time that we had together that God had

begun to really reveal to you

that there’s room for you to exercise

your mind on things above maybe you’ve

already found that place but now it’s

time for you to rain your mind in and I

want I want to pray specifically that

God will give you strategy on what

raining your mind in looks like for you

maybe that means having boundaries with

people maybe that means getting help

maybe that means finally going to see

that therapist and not just thinking

it’s a good idea but what I want to pray

most of all is that the race in your

mind I feel this for somebody your mind

has been racing non-stop it seems like

it never ends that non-stop mind racing

doesn’t exist in the presence of God and

so our goal our job our responsibility

is to make room so that we can be where

God is that’s you I just want you to

type that’s me that’s me that’s me I

want you to own where you are because

when you own where you are you have the

ability to change where you’re headed

sometimes we don’t want to own where we

are I don’t want to own the fact that

I’m struggling I don’t want to own the

fact that my pride has got me out here

that my egos got me out here that my

pain has made me start doing some things

that are that are unlike me but I need

you to own where you are you don’t have

to tell us where you are but I want you

to own that I got a little off track

because now we can now that we have

identified the crack and your foundation

we can ask God to tear down anything

that you’ve built on that crack so that

he can repair it and build it again I

want to pray with you father God men in

your presence

and your presence there is joy and your

presence there is healing and your

presence there was love and your

presence there is overflow Spirit of the

Living God what we want now more than

ever is to set our mind on things above

we live in our earth that pulls us down

it makes us negative sometimes it makes

us hurt sometimes it makes us wonder and

depressed and anxious sometimes but

father when we set our minds on things

above you will give us strategy on how

to navigate this earth and so father we

give you our mind and we ask for you to

make it up we ask for you to fix it to

transform it to change it father and we

ask that you would bring us into

alignment with people who are on the

same path with people who possess that

same passion to have a foundational

thought that is built or that is based

in who you are and what you’re doing in

the earth father I pray for everyone

viewing right now I want to speak to

that anxiety I want to speak to that

depression I want to speak to that fear

and I want to speak Jesus over and I

speak Jesus I feel God on that I speak

Jesus over your anxiety I speak Jesus

over your depression I speak Jesus over

your pride I speak Jesus over your

brokenness I speak Jesus over your

abandonment issues I speak Jesus over

those rejection issues I speak Jesus

Jesus Jesus Jesus he knows how to fill

in the cracks Jesus Jesus Jesus he knows

how to restore you Jesus

Jesus Jesus he knows how to build you up

again ice plead the blood of Jesus over

you right now in the name of Jesus I

speak Jesus over your health I speak

Jesus over your dreams I speak Jesus

over your purpose I speak the kingdom of

heaven has come and because the kingdom

of heaven has come we push darkness away

father we ask that you would touch us in

the places we need it the most and that

you would open us up to receive the

transformation that is the reason why

you met with us in the first place

father please don’t leave us the same

father please don’t allow us to come

into this place the same way that we

came in but father transform us that

when the message is over and we shut

down our phones and close our laptops

that this will stick with us and when

insecurity and low self-esteem and

anxiety and in doubt begin to creep in

father I ask that you would give us the

remembrance of what this message did for

us that you would remind us that we have

the ability and the power to set our

mind on things about father we receive

this word we act that you would allow it

to take root and produce fruit in our

lives Father forgive us

forgive us father for not living up to

who we know we could be forgive us for

being indecisive in moments when we

should have shown up as our true

authentic divine self we repent father

we change our minds so that you can

change our actions and we ask that you

would allow us that walk in covenant

with you afresh and Jesus name I pray

amen

listen you know I have to have a little

homework for you so if you’ve been

touched by this message and you said

this is my word I want you to go to

Colossians 2 and I want you to start in

verse 12 I mean you know my husband’s

they read the whole Bible but Colossians

3 verse 12 through 17 and it just talks

about the character of the new man and

it’s going to help us to understand what

we’re exercising our mind towards

there’s some big boats some big adult

folks stuff in there talking about

kindness and humility and meekness and

long-suffering things that are unnatural

to us but supernatural in God so that’s

your homework I want you to start

dissecting don’t overwhelm yourself but

pick up just one or two things that you

want to focus on in this season where

you say I want to stretch my mind to be

more like above in this area and then

we’ll tackle another area and we’ll do

it over and over again until God has

said good job well done my good and

faithful servant we love you thank you

for activating with us we cannot wait to

see you on Saturday and then on Sunday

[Music]

you

hey family I’m pastor Tori Hester Sarah

we just want to greet you before you get

ready to watch this powerful message we

believe it’s going to change your life

we’ve been praying for you and we also

want you to partner with us in changing

the lives of others as you know we’re

invested a lot into technology so that

we can continue to bring the word to you

and innovative in creative ways but we

don’t just stop there we also believe in

blessing people in a more pragmatic way

that’s right you’re about to watch this

video that is going to tremendously

bless you

but what you don’t get to see is how

we’re blessing people off of the pulpit

there are families that are being fed

there are women who are being saved from

human trafficking there are so many

organizations that we are able to

support thanks to your generosity so we

want to invite you to be a part of

changing the world with this yeah we’ve

been very intentional in this season to

to partner with organizations and

support them financially that are making

a difference considering their crisis so

we just thank you they’re giving

instructions on the screen here partner

with us and let’s get into this word I’m

going to be speaking out of Colossians 3

I’ve got one scripture that I want to

start with but I have a few other

scriptures that I’m going to be pulling

from as I build out this thought so be

patient with me so I’m going to be

Colossians 3 simply verse – this isn’t

an unfamiliar text but it’s one that God

has really been dealing with me about

and hopefully it’s going to add some

wisdom and depth to your journey and

walk right now verse 2 begins it says

set your mind on things above not on

things on the earth to set your mind on

things above not on things on the earth

father God you have given me clear

instructions for days now you’ve been

uttering this word to me and so father I

just pray that you would allow this word

to come forth exactly as you need it to

come forth that you would use every part

of me father to deliver this word and

that you would leave nothing on

table father opened our hearts open our

minds remove our excuses and

distractions that we may face from this

word and become better as a result of it

in Jesus name I pray amen you know I’ve

been thinking in this subject for this

message for those of you who like to

take notes is to make up your mind make

up your mind which actually sounds a

little bit easier than it actually is I

think one of the greatest challenges

that anyone in a relationship or

friendship experiences is that question

about like what do you want to eat like

why is that one of the greatest

challenges in a relationship sure there

are all of these other finances and

character and integrity but one

consistent whether you’re in a healthy

relationship or in a toxic relationship

one of the recurring issues is being

indecisive over what you want to eat and

I am guilty of having this problem my

husband always asks me what do you want

to eat and I’m like I don’t care but the

thing is I do care I want to eat fat

food he wants to eat healthy food and I

don’t want to be penalized for my

choices so I say nothing at all and then

I sit there and I eat the kale with the

olive oil and the lemon made lemon

dressing and I just suffer because I was

too afraid to say what was actually on

my mind this notion of making up your

mind I think sometimes we don’t like to

deal with the consequences that come

with making up our mind as I was

studying for this message I kept hearing

over and over again that we are in this

season of being established and when God

is establishing us there are some

decisions that we have to make but

sometimes we’re hesitant to make those

decisions because we don’t want to deal

with the consequences I know I should

set my mind on this thing I know I

should set my mind

that thing but what happens if my

friendships fall off what happens if I’m

not sure how I’m going to be able to

connect in those groups and categories

and industries anymore and so we don’t

set our minds at all not recognizing

that even our indecisiveness is a mental

state as being indecisive is setting our

mind in James it says a double minded

man is unstable in all of his ways it

doesn’t say that a double minded men

cannot build it just means that whatever

that double-minded man builds is

unstable so what if even an hour

indecisiveness we think we aren’t

building but we are actually building

something it’s just something that isn’t

stable and when God kept telling me that

we were going to be talking about

establishing in this season what he was

saying to me is that I’m bringing my

people into a season where I want them

to be stable I want them to be solid I

want them to be established and so we

cannot be established unless we’re

willing to confront the areas in our

life where we are unstable I used to

live in this planned community in Texas

when I was a single mother and I just

had this dream of homeownership and I

saved and I pinched and my dream was to

live in this night plan community of

tract homes where you know your kids

could walk to the school bus and they

were friends with the neighbors and I

finally got this house and I can

remember that when I finally got the

house that there was a lot across the

street that was empty and I used to

think that myself oh my goodness it’s

going to be so hard living beside all of

this construction and it’s going to be

so noisy what I didn’t realize though

was how quickly they built those homes

they build them so fast that the noise

isn’t actually even that bad because

they just spring up so rapidly but there

is this season where they don’t just

build every single day because they lay

the foundation and when you lay the

foundation of the home you don’t lay

this on

and then build on it the next day

because if you build on the foundation

before it’s ready you run the risk of

cracking the foundation and if the

foundation is crack than anything you

build on that house runs the risk of

being ruined there are so many of us who

look at the houses and the lives that we

see that have been built and we think to

ourselves I want a house like that but

the reality is what we really need to be

asking is I wonder if there’s any cracks

in those foundations

I wonder what had to happen in order for

that house to stand as tall as its

standing I look at some of my mentors in

the faith and we’re going through this

pandemic and I call them my spiritual

grandfather and I I checked on him

because you know he’s got a church and

they’re a little compared to us I guess

you’d call it a little bit old school

but it’s a Holy Ghost sanctified Church

and I text him to ask him how things

were going with the pandemic and having

to do things virtual and he says honey

we’re just adjusting because they have

so much foundation that they don’t let

these things come and just shake them

and I just feel that prophetically for

you you’re watching this video and

you’ve been shaking and there’s nothing

wrong with being shaken but there comes

a moment when God says I’m showing you

where you’re being shaken not so that I

can scare you and not so that you are

it’s not so that you will no longer

build but rather so that you can

understand where the cracks are so that

when you build the next time I feel that

for somebody I don’t know who you are

you got a little bit shaken up and you

realize that there was a crack in your

foundation and instead of fixing the

crack in your foundation you decided

instead that I won’t build on it at all

and I hear God saying that he revealed

the crack in your foundation so that you

would come to a place where you realize

that that crack was exposed so that it

could be fixed addressed and I could

build again I feel that for somebody

it’s building season I feel the Spirit

of God on that like something I’ve never

felt before that God is establishing new

leadership he’s establishing new

Trailblazers he’s establishing new ways

of being

your family new ways of being in your

community

and you think the fact that you have a

crack in your foundation has

disqualified you and I hear God’s saying

the only way I can build you up to the

next dimension is if I expose to you

where the cracks in your foundation are

you see God isn’t like these master

builders who starts off with the blank

canvas when God gets ready to build you

up he has to take inventory of what you

brought to him when you come to God you

already have paradigms built when you

come to God you already have the

ideologies when you come to that you

already have a perspective on who you

are and I hear God’s saying that when

you came to me there were some cracks in

your foundation and in order for me to

build you up into who I’ve called you to

be not who your mother called you to be

not who your sister called you to be not

who your church called you to be not who

your community called you to be but I

want to build you up into what I saw and

so you have to be willing to let God

demolish what you have built if it means

that you can become who God has called

you to be I hear that song playing in my

head now I want to be where you are at

what point do you say I am so desperate

to be where you are that even if you

demolish everything I’ve built

if you’ve demolished my dream if you

demolish my idea of what my life should

look like but it means that I get to be

with you God you can tear it down God

you can tear down anything in me that

doesn’t look like what you’re trying to

build in me I’m not in love with any job

I’m not in love with any career I’m not

in love with any dream more than I am in

love with being where you are because I

recognize there is provision when I am

where you are there is protection when I

am where you are and there has to come

this desperation down on the inside of

us where we say to ourselves father I

want you to help me look at the

foundation that has produced Who I am

our mind is the foundation of who we are

as a man thinketh so is he that is the

foundation that we build our lives on I

can tell what you think about yourself

based on the relationships you’re in I

can tell what you think about yourself

based on the thoughts that come out

your mouth by the way you communicate

with other people by the way you handle

other people’s heart it says to me how

you communicate with yourself and how

you handle your heart because as a man

thinketh that’s why the Internet is

really such an interesting place because

you get to see people’s thoughts and

you’re thinking that they’re attacking

you they’re not attacking you attack is

the way that they speak attack is the

way that they communicate with

themselves

the thoughts that you receive our a

reflection of the thoughts that are down

on the inside of them as a man thinketh

so was he and so when God gets ready to

transform us he starts with our mind be

ye transformed by the renewing of your

mind your mind already has this shape

your mind already has a rhythm and God

says if I’m going to renew you you have

to be willing to lay down your mind

lay down your way of doing things lay

down your way of functioning so that we

can determine what’s worth sticking

because when God looks at you God

doesn’t just look at what you want him

to see God doesn’t even look at where

you are all God sees is what he created

I feel the presence of God on that

somebody needs to know that when you

look at you you see all of the things

you did wrong you see all of the things

that you could have done better and you

end up stuck because you can’t see

beyond what happened to you and what you

did and who violated you and who hurt

you and who you hurt and who you need to

forgive and so you don’t move because

you can’t see past that but what you

need to know is that when God looks at

you he only sees what he saws I’m going

to prove it to you in Isaiah it says

Isaiah 43 I think it is verse 25 they’re

going to put it on the screen for me it

says I even I this is God speaking to

the Prophet he says and he who blots out

your transgressions for my own sake and

I will not remember your sins God says

when I look at you I blotted out of my

mind because I cannot allow for what I

have seen when I formed you in your

mother’s womb to be diluted by the sins

that you have made that says I can

forgive you and I can help you to grow

and I can help you to become better and

the reason why I can do that is because

I only see you

your highest potential I gotta say that

the way it’s hitting in my spirit

because I want you to understand that

the reason God has called you the reason

why God is using you the reason why God

positions you has nothing to do with

what you have gone through it has

nothing to do with even what you see

when you look in the mirror and it has

everything to do with what he saw when

he formed you in your mother’s womb I

hear God saying I only see good when I

look at you

I only see perfection when I look at you

I only see you at your highest potential

when I look at you God says I only see

what I created and it breaks to my heart

when you have missteps and it breaks my

heart when you mess up not because I

don’t believe better but because I know

you’re better than that

you’re better than the way you’re acting

you’re better than the way you’re

thinking he gets upset with depression

he gets upset with anxiety he gets upset

when you’re hurt not because he feels

like he devalues you because he knows

you’re better than that

and so God says I’m gonna give you power

to rise to what I see I’m gonna give you

authority to rise to what I see I’m

gonna give you vision so you will be

hungry for what I see there comes a

point in your life when you have an

encounter with God where you start to

get curious about what it is that God

sees God how could you keep using me how

could you keep favoring me how could you

keep positioning me and God says you’re

wondering how but it’s all I ever saw I

saw that when you were a little boy I

saw that when you were a little girl I

saw that when they walked away from you

I saw that when they turned their back

on you you wanted them and I wanted you

because I knew what I place down on the

inside of you and when you come to a

place where you make up your mind that I

am who God says I am I can do what God

says I can do my pastors behind me my

future is ahead of me and I want to

figure out what it is that he knew God

what is it that you see when you look at

me and I set my mind on that that’s

where I have to live and it doesn’t mean

that I don’t get off track and it

doesn’t mean that I don’t have moments

when I slip up but I have to know where

I set in my mind so that when I get lost

I can remember where home is so that

when I get frustrated I can remember

where homie

there’s a place that God carved out for

me and this place that he carved out for

me this world doesn’t even understand it

but I’ve made a decision to be who that

person is and so we set our mind on

things above recognizing that when we do

that that God reveals to us what he

place down on the inside of us when Paul

is speaking to the church in Colossians

in these letters they’re coming to a

point where they are being established

as a church now this is important

because when we think about being

established as a church especially when

we’re in Pentecost week sometimes our

modern and Western Way of thinking

allows us to believe that being

established as a church means that we

need a building fund this isn’t what

Paul is talking about Paul is talking

about establishing the mindset of you

being the hands and feet of God

establishing the mindset that means that

even if I’m not in a building I

recognize that I am a part of the church

I am a part of what God is doing in the

earth I am a part of a kingdom that that

started in heaven and touches down to

the earth its expansion expands down

into the earth and so Paul is trying to

get these people ready to understand

this new calling this new identity that

he has called them into and I feel like

this is so important for someone because

you’re stepping into this new dimension

of who God has called you to be you’re

stepping into this new Authority you’re

stepping into this new level of

leadership where you have to be willing

to set your mind the days of you being

indecisive and not knowing which way you

should go and what you should believe

and what you should think I hear God

saying that’s coming to an end because

in order for me to build you in this

next season you need to be established

and if you’re going to be established

then you have to be willing to set your

mind and so Paul says I’m calling you

out from amongst the world that you know

so that you can understand the new world

that you are engaging in doesn’t that

sound just like where we are right now

God is calling us out

what we’ve always known and now we have

to be established in a new normal when

this first started we were all trying to

figure out what it was and we were

Netflix and chilling and snacking but

now that this has become our new way of

living there are some people who have

decided I can’t just keep floating by

anymore

waiting to see what the headlines are

going to have to say I’m gonna have to

establish myself in the midst of this

new world but where do I begin and

Colossians is very clear when it says to

us that the way for us to begin is to

start with having a set mindset I want

to ask you a question if you’re taking

notes I want you to ask yourself this

question and I want you to review it

after this message is over and to really

ask yourself where you align that

question is what is the foundational

thought of your existence and can it

live in the presence of God what is the

foundational thought of your existence

the foundational thought of my existence

if I had to put it simply and not have

this long run-on sentence if I had to

put it simply it would be I want to be

where God is I want to be where God is

and and we have to know what the

foundational thought of our existence is

because we may deduce it down to

something that this world understands

but that can’t live in the presence of

God the foundational thought of your

existence can’t be I want to get married

and I want to build wealth and that’s an

overflow type of mindset but the

foundational thought of your existence

what is it that drives you what is it

that pushes you forward what is that

thought that that challenges you and

your greatest moments

what is that thought I want to be where

God is and I want to be connected with

people who share that same foundational

thought because what I am connected with

people who share that same foundational

thought then when I start slipping they

can pull me back to where I am supposed

to be I need to be in relationship

whether it’s in my church or in my

friendships or romantically

with people who share that same

foundational thought I love this church

because I am convinced that one of the

foundational thoughts of this movement

is that we take territory for the

kingdom that we go in this space is

where they said we shouldn’t be and we

show up and we put up a banner that says

we’re supposed to be here because God

has called me to be here I love me a

gangster Christian I love somebody who

doesn’t mind saying I don’t care what

you thought about everyone who came

before me I don’t care what you thought

about what I should look like or what I

should sound like what I care about is

taking territory what I care about is

healing broken hearts what I care about

is making sure the homeless are fed what

is the foundational thought foundational

thought people get together and they

start building things that they could

have never built on their own but

because we think the same way and we

have the same foundation we start

building things that can’t be shaken I

want to prophesy for a moment that God

is gonna start bringing people into your

life who shared that same foundational

thought for their existence so that you

can begin building I want to prophesy I

don’t know who you are but you have been

looking for partnership and I hear God

saying that your partnership is going to

come when you stop looking at what

someone has on the outside and start

asking them questions like what is the

foundational thought for your existence

I don’t care where you work I don’t care

how tall you are I don’t care what your

degree says or how many zeros you have

in the bank account what I want to know

is what is the foundational thought for

your existence because you can be fine

and unstable but if you know who God is

and you have a foundational thought for

the kingdom and you have a foundational

thought for what God is going to do you

may be in an apartment today but I

rad was doing that apartment outright

would stay homeless I read what you no

matter where we go because we got a

foundational thought that can not be

shaken and we’re not looking at what the

world can see wondering that what God

wants to feel my husband all the time

you and the kids end up in a minivan but

we still have to sound a stuff out for

why God brought us together then we will

tell hell no on the sidewalk and we will

tell hell no until the kingdom

no matter where we go because we say

they share this same thought and you

need to get with somebody who says it’s

a foundational coffee I once attended my

organization because you share the same

thought I want you to be information

what is the foundational thought of your

existence and can it live in the

presence of God you gotta make up your

mind your mind doesn’t just come

together you make your mind you set your

mind on things above and then you get in

line with other people who know how to

build the way that you build I feel

something on that I need someone who

understands what I’m building I need

someone who understands what wakes me up

in the morning I need someone I

understand that this is bigger than me

that this is bigger than what other

people can see that my identity and God

is resting on whether or not I say yes

my identity and God is resting on

whether or not I create I’m not doing it

so that it can hit a list I’m not doing

it so that I can become famous I’m doing

it because God placed it down on the

inside of me and I have no other choice

I have no other choice it’s got to come

out of me I have no other choice I gotta

produce and I need someone who is

dressed

to do what God has called them to do you

indecisive somewhere else right now I’m

in this season where I need to be

established and I need to be around

someone else who was playing a

foundation that cannot be shaken I can’t

smoke my way out of this one I can’t sex

my way out of this one

I can’t drink my way out of this one I

need something that cannot be shaken

because when the winds blow and the flag

drops I’m gonna still be standing cuz I

built my life on something that cannot

be shaken

[Music]

I gotta build on what cannot be shaken

and that’s why Paul sends this letter to

the Church of Colossians because he says

I’m investing my life in this and if I’m

going to invest my life in this I gotta

build a church that cannot be shaken and

I gotta show you how to build by how you

think and I got to show you how to think

by where you set your mind all different

types that thoughts can come to you but

can those thoughts live in the place

that you have set so Paul says I need to

give them instructions on how to set

their mind and as I was reading this

text I just studied this one word you

know me usually I have several

scriptures but there was something about

this one word set set set and being

established it kept ringing in my mind

he kept showing up no matter where I was

it says set your mind on things above

what this says to me is this first of

all Paul came to where that church of

Colossians was he came to them God sent

a word to them but God does not bring

you a word to keep you where you are God

didn’t even send Jesus down to earth to

keep us where we were he sent Jesus down

to the earth because Jesus was on a

mission to ultimately reconnect us back

to God God meets you where you are but

it is for the intent of taking you to

where he is I want to be where you are

thank you for coming to where I am but

now take me to where you are what if

that became my prayer god I thank you

for coming to me where I was father I

thank you for meeting me in the middle

of this pain thank you for meeting me in

the middle of this anxiety but father

now that you have met me God allow your

power to lift me from where you met me

allow your power to break me up father

so that I can be removed break

the ground for where from where I’ve

been planted so that I could be planted

where I need to be and I studied this

word set and it’s funny because if

you’ve ever studied these words in the

Bible it starts off English and then

it’s Greek or Hebrew depending on which

word you’re looking at and then they

have all of these different references

for the word our English Bible is a

translation that started in the Greek

and so when we look at this text we have

to be willing to figure out what was the

original intent of the author so it says

set but that word in the Greek when I

looked it up and I’m going to break it

down I’m gonna give you three of the

words because it kept breaking it down

until we got to the root that first part

of it says exercise so when I greeked it

that word set says exercise exercise

your mind on things above I love that

because what that communicates to me is

that it’s not always easy to just set

your mind sometimes setting your mind is

an exercise sometimes setting your mind

is that’s being able to say I’m going to

have to exert my mind to things above

I’m going to have to stretch my mind to

things above I know that you are saved

and sanctified filled with the Holy

Ghost and this is not your testimony so

just take this part of the message and

send it to somebody else who struggles

with being petty like I do and tell them

sis petty may be where you are but petty

is not where you are supposed to be and

if you don’t start exercising your mind

you’re going to stay stuck you have to

be willing to exert your mind I wonder

how that shows up when we start talking

about things like forgiveness

forgiveness is not necessarily natural

what does that mean when it starts

talking about our tendency to have low

self-esteem I’m I’m going to have to

stretch my mind it won’t happen all oh

it won’t happen overnight I’m gonna have

to stretch in my mind to get there I’m

gonna have to exert my mind and there

may be some moments when I exert

minding my mind can’t take it anymore

but I wake up the next day and I stretch

it again I wake up the next day and I’d

exert it again because I recognize that

the only way that I can build the muscle

necessary for my mind to be set on

things above this is if I start

stretching my mind we have a podcast on

called woman evolves and there’s a

segment of the podcast called rescue

even we call it rescue Eve because the

goal is to get people to stretch their

mind and to see things that maybe we’re

vilifying in the news in a different

direction in a different perspective

because there’s something about exerting

your mind you’re taking notes I want you

to write that down when you exert your

mind you stretch your mind to do what

Jesus would do and to think how Jesus

would think and to show up the way that

Jesus would show up and it is an

exercise it doesn’t come naturally to

you so don’t penalize yourself for not

being where you are supposed to be but

be willing to stretch yourself until you

become it but it didn’t stop there

because after it’s talked about us

exercising our mind and then says to

check out another Greek word that would

better translate that word that they

translated into exercise and that was

RAM in so setting your mind is

exercising your mind and then reining

your mind in I love that because it’s

like I said a little bit earlier you’re

going to have moments when you start

having all different types of thoughts

coming your way all different types of

ways that thinking especially on social

media social media I think is one of the

greatest distractions and greatest

highways of thoughts that anyone can

ever be exposed to because one minute

we’re grieving what happened with George

Floyd the next minute we’re looking at

somebody’s cute baby the next minute

we’re hungry it’s a highway of thoughts

and every now and then you have to rein

your mind and I feel like someone needs

to know that there are moments when you

allow to many thoughts to exist in your

world and that it is your responsibility

to rein your mind in it is your

responsibility to be aware and

intentional enough to know when you need

to unplug when you need to get in their

presence

of God rain your mind into things above

sometimes you got to shut it all down

and turn on worship music shut it all

down and turn on a message because my

mind is swirling with all of these

different scenarios and all of these

different issues and what if and and how

come and what if I am this and what if

I’m that and I hear God’s saying

rain your mind in rain it in and be okay

with being able to say that I need to

rain my mind in as I was studying for

this message one of the things that I

learned that I literally didn’t know is

that science is beginning to show that

our human brains are wired towards a

negative bias that means that we lean a

little negative it says that this is

probably a part of the early human

history that we had to pay attention to

bad dangerous and negative threats in

order to survive and those who were more

attuned with those dangers paid more

attention to bad things around them they

were more likely to survive and so now

that mindset has been passed down from

generation to generation and that’s why

it’s important that this Texas to set

your mind on things above because if you

allow your mind to be set by the culture

or the family or the community that you

live in then you may be setting your

mind towards something that keeps you

from becoming who God has called you to

be

or setting your mind on things that keep

you from really showing up in your

purpose and showing up in the kingdom

the way that you are supposed to be

there is no shame and knowing that I

need to reign in my mind and I want to

say this because I felt like as a church

as that not just this church but as the

body of Christ that we’ve had some

moments in some theologies that made us

believe that there was something wrong

with therapy but if you were going to

reign in your mind and I want to

challenge you that you may need help

bringing in your mind and there’s

nothing wrong with that it may take some

medication for you to reign in your mind

and there’s nothing wrong with that

because if you have to come to a place

where you are willing to say I will do

whatever it takes for my mind to be set

on things above and if my brain has a

chemical imbalance that keeps me from

setting my mind on things above

I need to get that fixed so that I can

become who God has called me to be they

say that God doesn’t need medicine but

God created doctors and created medicine

and sometimes we do need medication in

order for us to become no.1 it’s time

for you to reign your mind in and don’t

be afraid to ask for help

and then the last thing so that word

said once again in the Greek it broke

down to exercise and then it told me to

reference another word that was rain in

and there was another word that it told

me to reference and this is when it

stopped and it literally says stop to

fence in or stop that is the final word

to stop your mind on things above man

that was so powerful to me when I read

it because it made me realize that your

mind has to have a stopping point my

mind was racing when I first got this

message and I felt like God was saying

you know this is what I want you to

preach about I want you to preach about

what it requires for us to really make

our minds up we get up in our morning in

the morning and we make up our bed some

of us do we make up our bed in the

morning and it takes a little work and

that’s why some of us don’t do it

because we’re getting back in it why

would we make it up because of the work

required to make up your bed sometimes

we don’t do it imagine the work that

goes into making up in your mind it does

take work but there is the stopping

point and this text shows us that when

we stop our mind on things above that

the presence of God is what allows our

mind to become his mind why is it that

he would tell us Paul to set our mind on

things above unless at the end of the

day God was trying to give us his mind

man what an honor and privilege it is to

have access to the mind of God that says

when you set your mind on things above

when you make up your mind that my mind

is going to be set on what’s above that

I don’t just leave you there that I get

to give you an exchange

so I gotta get my mind to God I gotta

get my heart to God I gotta give myself

to God I’ve allowed my mind to be with

depression I’ve allowed my mind to be

with my insecurities I’ve allowed my

mind to be with my fears for long enough

now I have to set my mind on things

above I have to be who God has called me

to be because there is a gift waiting

for me there all throughout the Bible

that talks about how God wants to give

us a divine exchange how he has mystery

stored up for those who search him out

who seek Him who look for him so I got

his said my mind on things above so I

can receive his mind my mind stops in

the presence because when my mind stops

in the presence his mind is what I

receive in it instead have you ever been

worshiping and in that moment you were

worshiping in that moment you were

listening to this message you started

thinking to yourself man it’s so funny

when I came into this I was so heavy but

now I’m coming out of it and I feel like

I have enough strength I have enough

vision I have enough faith that I’m

going to be okay that the creativity is

going to come that’s not just because we

had this trance it’s because you came

into the presence of God and when you

came into the presence of God he gave

you his mind instead

I remember in Isaiah actually gave them

this text and the prophet Isaiah Isaiah

is talking about when the King Josiah

died it says in the year that King

Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a

throne high and lifted up and the Train

of his robe filled the temple above it

stood Seraphim each one had six wings

two he covered his face and the two he

covered his feet so you wasn’t looking

the Seraphim they weren’t looking and

they weren’t moving but the other two

they were using to fly so in this

instance they got angels in the presence

of the Lord and the angels aren’t

looking in the angels feet they aren’t

moving the only thing they’re doing is

doing enough to stay up in the presence

of God that’s what happens when we’re in

the presence he elevates us enough that

our eyes don’t matter our path doesn’t

matter but in this moment all that

matters is that we stay up and then it

says that these two seraphim’s were just

crying to one another holy holy holy is

the Lord of hosts the whole earth is

full of his glory holy holy holy

these Saracens for a moment they were

wrapped up in what when they saw the

earth they didn’t see the races and when

they saw the earth they didn’t see the

pain when they solved the earth they

didn’t see a pandemic when they saw the

earth they didn’t see division all they

saw was that the earth was full of God’s

glory it doesn’t mean that that glory

had been manifested it just meant that

the earth was so full of potential for

God’s glory so much potential that when

they saw it all they could do is stay in

the presence of God and say holy holy

holy holy and I hear God saying that I’m

looking for some people who don’t mind

looking at my presence and seeing the

earth the way that I see it and being

the ones who are willing to establish

the glory

this earth is meant to carry this earth

is meant to carry glory the same things

those Arabs were saying in that moment

they’re saying right now I bet you if we

could look into the windows of heaven

then we would see angels looking down on

the earth saying holy holy holy holy the

Lord of Hosts their art is full of God’s

glory the earth is full of God’s glory

and you are God’s glory

you are God’s plan you are God’s

strategy you are God’s idea and you

gotta make up your mind that I am God’s

strategy in the earth and so I have to

show up with my mind stayed on Jesus so

that I could run this race so I can

bridge this gap so that I can eradicate

hate this is my job this is my role and

I do it not because I believe in what I

see on this earth but I believe it

because my mind is set on things above

and so when I look at this earth I look

at it the same way the Seraphim steer

and I said God there’s so much room for

your glory here by there’s so much room

for transformation there’s so much room

for change you’re watching this message

I want you to type I’m God strategy I’m

God strategy I’m God strategy I’m God

strategy I want you to start prophesying

that over where you are right now

God unleash your strategy over where I

am right now father I’m ready to set in

my mind on things above I want to pray

with you I want to pray that in this

time that we had together that God had

begun to really reveal to you

that there’s room for you to exercise

your mind on things above maybe you’ve

already found that place but now it’s

time for you to rain your mind in and I

want I want to pray specifically that

God will give you strategy on what

raining your mind in looks like for you

maybe that means having boundaries with

people maybe that means getting help

maybe that means finally going to see

that therapist and not just thinking

it’s a good idea but what I want to pray

most of all is that the race in your

mind I feel this for somebody your mind

has been racing non-stop it seems like

it never ends that non-stop mind racing

doesn’t exist in the presence of God and

so our goal our job our responsibility

is to make room so that we can be where

God is that’s you I just want you to

type that’s me that’s me that’s me I

want you to own where you are because

when you own where you are you have the

ability to change where you’re headed

sometimes we don’t want to own where we

are I don’t want to own the fact that

I’m struggling I don’t want to own the

fact that my pride has got me out here

that my egos got me out here that my

pain has made me start doing some things

that are that are unlike me but I need

you to own where you are you don’t have

to tell us where you are but I want you

to own that I got a little off track

because now we can now that we have

identified the crack and your foundation

we can ask God to tear down anything

that you’ve built on that crack so that

he can repair it and build it again I

want to pray with you father God men in

your presence

and your presence there is joy and your

presence there is healing and your

presence there was love and your

presence there is overflow Spirit of the

Living God what we want now more than

ever is to set our mind on things above

we live in our earth that pulls us down

it makes us negative sometimes it makes

us hurt sometimes it makes us wonder and

depressed and anxious sometimes but

father when we set our minds on things

above you will give us strategy on how

to navigate this earth and so father we

give you our mind and we ask for you to

make it up we ask for you to fix it to

transform it to change it father and we

ask that you would bring us into

alignment with people who are on the

same path with people who possess that

same passion to have a foundational

thought that is built or that is based

in who you are and what you’re doing in

the earth father I pray for everyone

viewing right now I want to speak to

that anxiety I want to speak to that

depression I want to speak to that fear

and I want to speak Jesus over and I

speak Jesus I feel God on that I speak

Jesus over your anxiety I speak Jesus

over your depression I speak Jesus over

your pride I speak Jesus over your

brokenness I speak Jesus over your

abandonment issues I speak Jesus over

those rejection issues I speak Jesus

Jesus Jesus Jesus he knows how to fill

in the cracks Jesus Jesus Jesus he knows

how to restore you Jesus

Jesus Jesus he knows how to build you up

again ice plead the blood of Jesus over

you right now in the name of Jesus I

speak Jesus over your health I speak

Jesus over your dreams I speak Jesus

over your purpose I speak the kingdom of

heaven has come and because the kingdom

of heaven has come we push darkness away

father we ask that you would touch us in

the places we need it the most and that

you would open us up to receive the

transformation that is the reason why

you met with us in the first place

father please don’t leave us the same

father please don’t allow us to come

into this place the same way that we

came in but father transform us that

when the message is over and we shut

down our phones and close our laptops

that this will stick with us and when

insecurity and low self-esteem and

anxiety and in doubt begin to creep in

father I ask that you would give us the

remembrance of what this message did for

us that you would remind us that we have

the ability and the power to set our

mind on things about father we receive

this word we act that you would allow it

to take root and produce fruit in our

lives Father forgive us

forgive us father for not living up to

who we know we could be forgive us for

being indecisive in moments when we

should have shown up as our true

authentic divine self we repent father

we change our minds so that you can

change our actions and we ask that you

would allow us that walk in covenant

with you afresh and Jesus name I pray

amen

listen you know I have to have a little

homework for you so if you’ve been

touched by this message and you said

this is my word I want you to go to

Colossians 2 and I want you to start in

verse 12 I mean you know my husband’s

they read the whole Bible but Colossians

3 verse 12 through 17 and it just talks

about the character of the new man and

it’s going to help us to understand what

we’re exercising our mind towards

there’s some big boats some big adult

folks stuff in there talking about

kindness and humility and meekness and

long-suffering things that are unnatural

to us but supernatural in God so that’s

your homework I want you to start

dissecting don’t overwhelm yourself but

pick up just one or two things that you

want to focus on in this season where

you say I want to stretch my mind to be

more like above in this area and then

we’ll tackle another area and we’ll do

it over and over again until God has

said good job well done my good and

faithful servant we love you thank you

for activating with us we cannot wait to

see you on Saturday and then on Sunday

[Music]

you