An Underrated Secret to Accelerate Your Spiritual Growth

Well, I want to share with you an underrated secret to accelerate your spiritual growth. And there's a reason that many believers today don't use this secret. In fact, many believers today don't even know that this is available. But when you begin to apply this spiritual principle, you'll notice that there is speed that is added to your spiritual movement. As you walk along the timeline of your destiny in Christ, you will notice that it will seem like you're skipping years.

Now, this doesn't mean that you're not being properly processed. This just means that there's a tool, a spiritual dynamic, that God has given to his church, that God has given to you, that will help you to walk with godly speed through your calling. And again, I want to emphasize that doesn't mean you're not properly processed. But many believers don't use this because, especially in this generation today, we have a very individualistic mindset. That we have a very isolated culture. Individuals are disconnected, and many people live lives disconnected from family, disconnected from friends, disconnected from the church.

And I want to push back on that right now. And I pray that the Holy Spirit would help you to repent in that area if that's something that you've been doing, living a life that's isolated, living a life that's a very self-reliant. Of course, we should be competent as believers. But there is this important dynamic to depending upon the Holy Spirit and the people that he places in your life. And so I want to invite you to use and apply today the power of impartation.

Now, impartation is simply a term that we use to describe spiritual transfer. Many things can be transferred. Uh, impartation is the spiritual transfer that takes place between believers. Knowledge can be imparted, power can be imparted, spiritual mantles, that is, assignments can be imparted. Various different things can be imparted. So though you won't necessarily see the term in scripture, you will definitely see the dynamic of impartation at play. Uh, for example, we have Elijah and Elisha, Moses and Joshua, Jesus and the disciples to some degree, David and Saul, and definitely we see it in the life of Paul and the life of Timothy.

Now, many Christians today, as I was saying, don't apply this simple principle of impartation because we've become very individualistic. And while we definitely understand and accept that God ultimately is the one who helps you to fulfill your calling, we also have to accept that God chooses to help you fulfill your calling in part through the power of impartation. That is, to the power of leadership, to the power of connection, to the power of transfer, to the power of mentorship. But because of pride, because of self-reliance, maybe even because of the fear of connecting with others, we've become isolated. We've become individualistic. We want to be like the hero in the story, claiming to do it all on our own. Or we want to be able to say things like, "All I need is me and Jesus." And well, that's true in the very basic sense, in the literal sense, it's not necessarily true in application. Because to need Jesus and to recognize your need of Jesus is to recognize your need to obey Jesus. And to obey Jesus is to obey his word. And the word teaches us the power of impartation. So to say, "I only need me and Jesus," is to completely disregard the fact that Jesus desires that you be connected with others.

Now, I understand too that especially in this season, sadly, we've seen the fall of many great spiritual leaders, or people we thought were great spiritual leaders. Now, I'm not going to participate in the schadenfreude by commenting on all the details. I think what's public is public. And you've likely heard a story or two, or half a dozen, or maybe a dozen of many falling in this season. And because of that, maybe there's this cynicism that's been created in your heart to where you're having trouble even trusting leaders. You don't even want to be connected with people because you're so afraid of being disappointed again.

Well, I want to encourage you with this truth: number one, we ultimately look to Jesus. And number two, though people are flawed, there still is a powerful dynamic to be experienced in regards to impartation.

Now, there are various different kinds of impartation. There's given impartation. This is where you are stepping into a mentorship role, or a mentor's role, and imparting what you know. For example, just by you sharing the gospel with a non-believer, that act in and of itself is a form of impartation. In fact, it is one of the very basic steps in discipleship. Because as people become disciples of Christ, they of course first have to come to know Christ as Savior. So you may be saying, "Well, there's not much that I have to offer," or "I don't really know all that much about the Bible," or "I'm not really leadership material." Whatever may be true of what you're saying there, I don't believe for one second, by the way, that God hasn't gifted you with something. The point is that no matter where you are on your spiritual journey, you can always help someone else who is coming along that is not quite as far as you. So you may be able to say, "Well, I'm not a very good teacher. I'm not a preacher. I'm not a scholar of the word." Okay, great. But you can share your testimony. You can demonstrate love. You can impart kindness. You can impart compassion. You can impart listening to someone as they go through their trials. So every single one of us, to some degree, have to participate in impartation in this direction, in that we are all helping someone else. And that's given impartation. You're called to do that.

Then there is shared impartation. This is the dynamic of sharing impartation between you and various individuals who you would consider friends. Now, here I'll park it just for a second because I want to share with you some dynamics that maybe can help you in your friendships. This culture does not understand friendship. I'm just going to tell you like it is. Sadly, we don't understand biblical friendship. And many people dismiss it as just this superficial connection. When actually, true friendships are meant to shape the person that you are. This is why you have to be careful about the friends that you choose. Because whether you like it or not, whether you admit it or not, there is impartation that's taking place in your friendship group. There's an impartation of language, there's an impartation of terminology, there's an impartation of attitude and outlook and ideology. And you have to be careful about who you're sharing an impartation with. Because remember, impartation is simply spiritual transfer. And you can impart knowledge, you can impart dispositions, you can impart power, you can impart gifts, you can impart mindsets, just by being around someone else. And so you have to be very careful and guarded. And make sure you understand who is where. Not everyone who you mentor should be someone who mentors you. In some instances, there are going to be people who you are there to lead, and you're not going to be able to be completely transparent with them about everything going on in your life. That's what you need close friends for.

And then there is received impartation. And received impartation is where you have now a spiritual leader who is helping you. And spiritual leadership is biblical. But remember, God gives us spiritual leaders not to govern us, but to guide us. Not to control us, but to help shape us. Leadership is not a lid; it's a covering. Leadership is not in competition with you; they are complimenting you. They are cheering you on. Leadership is there to serve in the capacity of discipleship. And so there's given impartation. This is where you are sharing impartation with others. You are discipling others. There is shared impartation. This is where there's that mutual friendship that's in place, someone you can go to, someone who can come to you. And then there is received impartation. This is where you now have a spiritual leader. Don't get those mixed up. Don't get those confused. Because if you get those confused, then you're going to be, uh, rather disappointed in the way that certain relationships end up. Uh, for example, I've seen some who have a leader over them. And I don't, I don't use that term "over them" in the sense that they're better than you. I'm just talking about in the capacity in which they are helping you, that they've been further along the spiritual journey, they know more, they have more wisdom, they walk through more experiences. And therefore, they can impart that. Um, they try to develop this friendship with them. And you should have friendship with your leaders. Don't hear what what I'm not saying. But they try to become very familiar with them in a way that's going to impede their ability to receive from that leader, or even cause such familiarity to grow in their heart that they no longer honor them, or they're very disrespectful toward them. And we'll be covering that in just a moment.

So these are just some of the dynamics to consider about this. And I want you to just note: there's given, there's shared, and then there's received. Now, I'm primarily addressing received impartation here. That is, uh, to to siphon, if you will, wisdom and power and assignment through the people that God has placed in your life. Ultimately, the power comes from the Holy Spirit who lives in you. Ultimately, the calling comes from God who called you. Ultimately, all of it flows from the Father. But he has people in place to help shape and build you in a way that you can better steward what God has deposited in you. Uh, you can drop in the comment section. Actually, I'm curious to know, who are some of your mentors? Who are some that you're considering friends? Who are some that you're helping along in your journey? Let me know about it in the comment section.

For every historic moment, there is a heavenly mantle. Now, the anointing, according to Acts 10:38, is the power of God. The anointing is the power of God working through a vessel to accomplish his purposes. There are not many anointings. Often, you'll hear of Christians wanting to collect the anointings as if it's a coin collection or a stamp collection. And they imagine that there are various different kinds of anointings that they have to get in order to complete their collection. They'll say things like, "Well, I want the healing anointing," or "I want the prophetic anointing," or "Let me get some of that deliverance anointing," or "Let me get some of that dreams and visions anointing." And if you're not careful, this can become something that gets marketed, commercialized, and ultimately exploited for greed and selfish gain.

So there are not various different kinds of anointing. There's only one anointing. It is the power of the Holy Ghost. And when you get the power of the Holy Ghost, you get it all. As long as you're obedient to him, he's going to use you in whatever capacity he wants you to be used. It's just a matter of walking in that power through obedience to God's word. So there aren't various different anointings. There are various different assignments that God will give to different believers. There are various different gifts that God will deposit in different believers. Like, for example, maybe he gave you a prophetic gift. Maybe he gave you a gift of teaching. Maybe he he gave you a talent for music, a talent for singing, a gift of administration. You can go on naming all of the different abilities and skills and gifts and spiritual dynamics that God can deposit in any individual. But regardless of what's been deposited in them, they all need the anointing, which is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And according to 1 John 2:27, s, every single one of us have received that anointing, and that anointing now resides within us.

So when I talk about the mantle, I'm not talking about the power. I'm talking about an assignment. Whenever you hear of Christians talking about mantle, what they're talking about is a very specific kind of assignment. So, for example, if someone is called to pastor a church and teach the word and exhort the people, well, that's describing a very specific gift set that ultimately puts them in a place where they have a very specific kind of assignment. And so when another one comes along who has a similar kind of assignment, we as believers will say, "Well, they have a similar mantle," or "That mantle has been passed." And that doesn't mean that only they can do it. Again, it's just a description of the assignment and gift set that's been described being described in the life of the believer.

Now, you'll hear some Christians who are very much stressed. They clutch their pearls whenever you use terminology with which they're unfamiliar. You know, they'll say things like, "Impartation is not in the Bible," or "Mantle, that's not even a biblical principle." Well, okay, maybe the terminology is not something with which some are familiar, but the biblical principles are right there plainly to be seen in the text. We see certain believers, like, for example, in the life of Timothy, he had a similar skill set, gift set to Paul the Apostle. And so that's an example of impartation and Timothy receiving, in sorts, a mantle, that is, a similar assignment to his predecessor. So whenever we talk about the anointing, we're talking about the power. Whenever we talk about a mantle, we're talking about a specific kind of assignment. And ever whenever we talk about impartation, we're talking about the giving of knowledge, the giving of gifts, through the laying on of hands, the giving of power through the work of the Holy Spirit being done in connection with the relationship that you have with a spiritual leader. Uh, so now that we have some of those definitions in place, let's take a look at how you can take advantage of this spiritual dynamic, this secret. And when I use the word secret, what I mean is simply it's a, it's a, it's a truth, it's a point, it's an idea. Uh, sometimes secret is used to describe like something that is hidden, and other times secret is simply synonymous with a key or a piece of information. So I'm using it in that sense. Here's a key that can help you.

So here are different ways that you can take advantage of that spiritual dynamic, that is impartation. Number one, and that is time with the Lord. Time with the Lord. I quoted to you 1 John 2:27. Now, take a look at Acts 4:13. I'm going to read this to you: "The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus." So here we see that Peter and John, though they didn't necessarily have special training in the scriptures, as they had, they did in fact have a certain something that was upon them by the time that they spent with the Lord Jesus. In other words, time in the presence of the Holy Spirit yields the power of the Holy Spirit. Many times people ask, "What is the secret to power? What is the key to power? What do I have to do?" And what they're waiting for is a list of very specific instructions that are obscure and maybe even a little bit strange, that can't be found within the plain teachings of scripture. You're not going to find that. There are no hidden ways to the power of the Holy Spirit. There are no hidden paths to walking in the depths of God's glory. It's simply obedience to God. And that obedience to God is cultivated, or that, how shall I say, that inclination toward the word of God, that love of his commands, is cultivated in the time that you spend with the Lord Jesus.

So if I share my testimony, looking back, even at my story, I can tell you from experience that God is going to raise who he wants to raise, and that there's nothing you can do to take someone out who God has raised. But you, as an individual, have a responsibility to obey what God is speaking to you. Because if he's going to promote you, he has to be able to entrust you with the power. He has to be able to entrust you with the assignment. Notice I didn't say "trust you with." I sometimes use that term, but here I want to be very clear. I mean "entrust," meaning that he's giving it to you in response to how well you stewarded what he's already given to you. And so you spending time with the Lord, you're going to find that there is an overflow that begins to become produced in your life.

So when I first was born again, I was saved at the age of 11. And then from 11 to 13, I spent those two years, maybe even almost 14, those two and a half years of praying every single day. I spent two and a half years reading the word every single day. I'm talking four to eight hours a day in prayer, 20, 30, 40 chapters of the Bible a day, and spending time in worship for hours on end. Now, I'm not saying that this is the key and if you can't do this, that God's not going to use you. Please don't hear what I'm not saying. I'm saying that in that season, I experienced a time in my life where I didn't have the responsibilities of marriage and fatherhood and ministry. And because I didn't have those responsibilities, I mean, I was just a a teenager who had nothing else to do but spend his summer break and his time after school just seeking the Lord. And so I had that advantage, for sure. But we know that as we grow, that we biblically speaking, have to take on certain responsibilities that would impede us from always being able to do that. So that was a very special time in my life in that there was more time available than ever. And so I remember in that two, two and a half years of just praying every day, seeking the face of God every day, I remember seeing almost as if I was being, being, being, being, um, how shall I say, soaked in the anointing. Like God was pouring that oil out upon me. And I, I felt as though I was absorbing something that God was depositing, that God was pouring out on my life. And that's one of the best ways I've come to be able to describe it. It's difficult sometimes to use worldly terminology to describe a heavenly experience. But that's what it felt like. Like in those moments of prayer and the word, that I was absorbing something heavenly. I felt like a sponge, just soaking up the anointing oil. And in those hours and hours and hours of time with the Lord, I was being saturated in the manifested power of the Holy Ghost. Out of that came a ministry. And this is the most important foundation. It was birthed in prayer. It was birthed in the presence of the Holy Spirit. It was founded upon the word.

Now, there was nothing that I could have done in my own strength and power to grow the ministry. There was nothing that I could have done in my own strength and power to strategize my way to what many would call success. And I use that term very lightly because people mean different things when they say it. What I do know is this: that during that season, there was a foundation that was being laid. You cannot buy the anointing. Just ask Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:22. He attempted to purchase the anointing because he was filled with jealousy over the admiration that the people had for the apostles. And so he wanted the anointing for himself. That, you, you cannot buy the anointing. You cannot purchase your call. You cannot pay for a conference registration and then come back called. You cannot put yourself through an e-course and receive the anointing. It's by the Holy Spirit. The key to the power of the Holy Spirit is time in the presence of the Holy Spirit. And sadly, we have many who know how to work a YouTube or Facebook or TikTok or social media algorithm, but they lack anointing. You cannot make up for with algorithm what you lack in anointing. And so many will apply skill, many will apply marketing, and raise themselves in ministry. Well, that's not the way God calls us. There has to be this foundation laid first. If it does not overflow out of a love for Jesus, it's not ministry; it's a business. It's not preaching; it's superficial encouragement. And so we need not to apply the methods and strategies of man, though we should apply the methods and strategies as the Holy Spirit gives them to us. But ultimately, it begins with this sincere connection with the Holy Spirit that is cultivated in seasons of prayer and the word. And so you want that impartation to come through who God is using. You need to first be in your own prayer life. You need to first be in your own devotion to the word. You need to first be able to carve sections out of your days to spend with the Lord, to dedicate completely to him, where there are no distractions around, where there are no other things calling for your attention, where you are simply spending time with him, focused on him.

So you might say, "I want God to use me like this person or that person." And maybe you're not even looking to man in that way. Good. You don't need to have a spiritual hero, so to speak, in order to be used by God. But maybe you have an image in your mind of what you know God has called you to do. And I'm not just talking about preachers. This is bigger than that. I'm not talking about just preachers and teachers and evangelists. I'm talking to every believer who sees in their mind what God has called them to become, what God has called them to do, and they want to receive that assignment, they want to receive the power that is needed to fulfill that assignment, that their life might have purpose unto the glory of God. All of us want to spend our lives expanding the kingdom of God. All of us want to be poured out like a drink offering unto the glory of God. All of us want to live in this world in a way that glorifies God. And there's nothing wrong with that. Good. I'm glad that's the motive. But if you want to see the fulfillment of the calling upon your life, then you must commit to private time in prayer and the word. You have to. There's no shortcut. There's no secret. There's no quick fix. There's no way around it. You have to be dedicated to prayer and the word. So that's number one: time with the Lord.

Now, that time with the Lord becomes the foundation upon which this impartation begins to become built. Number two is teaching. In Matthew chapter 28, we see Jesus's plan for how, excuse me, Matthew chapter 28, I just pushed the wrong chapter. Matthew 28, yes. Matthew 28:19, and I'll read verse 20 as well: "Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even until the end of the age." Well, this is the Lord's plan for spreading the kingdom. This is the Lord's plan for the propagation of the gospel. And that is multiplication. That one believer can win 10, and each one of those can win 10, and before you know it, the church has multiplied, millions and hundreds of millions are being saved, the kingdom of God is being established in this earth, and the Great Commission is succeeding. That's his plan. And you are part of that. So never say to yourself, "I have no place in the kingdom of God." Never say to yourself, "I have no worth in the kingdom of God." Never count yourself out. Never think that your gifts don't matter. Even if it's just what you would consider a small impact, it is a part of a larger plan. And it takes all of us obeying the Lord, fulfilling his command to spread the gospel, and not just spread the gospel, but to make disciples, to to teach, to impart. Not all of us will do that from a pulpit. Not all of us will do that from a social media platform. Not all of us will do that on a conference stage. But all of us can do that with the lives that God has given to us. He's given you breath. He's given you connections. He's given you influence. He's given you energy. He's given you time. He's given you knowledge of the truth. And therefore, you are a part of God's plan.

So if God's plan is multiplication, this is quite revealing as to why the enemy's plan is always division. Because it disrupts the multiplication. But in order for multiplication to work, in order for that chain of command to continue, if you will, the chain of spiritual influence to continue, we have to be able to see that teaching go forward, that discipleship go forward. Therefore, we all need good teachers. We all need spiritual leaders. We all need mentors. Again, that's, that's part of the plan. That's how this works. None of this works without the community of the church. That's how God designed it. So we need the teaching of the word. I can recall several different people who've influenced me over the years: my pastor, my dad, my grandfather. There are two evangelists in particular who I recall being influenced by at a very young age. There were two men by the name of Steve Romine and Harry Hills. Now, both of these men flowed in what you would call the word of knowledge. Steve Romine has passed away. Harry Hills, thank God, is still with us. In fact, Stephen Montazuma and I took a trip out to Arizona a couple years back to go visit him. Uh, but Steve Romine was a healing evangelist. Harry Hills is a healing evangelist. So very similar ministries, but get this, two completely different personalities. Steve Romine was more on the comedic side, constantly making jokes, very, uh, jolly. Harry Hills, though he was a kind man, though he is a kind man, was just more intense, more serious. He, even his delivery method was a little bit more, uh, boisterous, in a good way. Both of them had great command over the way they preach, but, uh, they were different, very much so in the way they came across in their personalities. And I remember watching as a boy, I remember watching these two men flow, both of them operating in the word of knowledge, both of them operating in the gift of healing, both of them winning souls. They both would come to our church quite often. I remember for watching both of these men in action and noting the difference between the two. And I thought, God can use a serious man like Harry Hills, an intense man like Harry Hills, and God can use a more comedic man like Steve Romine. And I watched the contrast and recognized, God can use anyone he wants. All they need is the power of the Holy Ghost. And what both of these men, who differed so greatly in personality, had in common in character was that they walked with Jesus. Was that they know the Lord. And that fellowship ultimately brought them to the place where they could teach.

Now, we as believers have to be able to humble ourselves and receive teaching from men and women of God. That's just the way the Lord designed it. That's a part of how the church works. So never mind with this dismissiveness where we say, "Well, all I need is the Holy Spirit and a Bible." That's interesting to me because that same Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit, tells you that you need teachers. Tells you that there are spiritual leaders that we ought not to give a hard time to. It tells you that God has given to us as a gift pastors, teachers, evangelists, apostles, and prophets, people who can help guide spiritually. Remember, it's to guide, not to govern. So we need to be able to receive teaching.

Now, it's important that we first have that time with the Lord established. Because as I mentioned, though I mentioned it first, it is the most important. That foundation, time with the Lord, that is the most important. Because if you don't have that foundation, please hear me now, people of God, if you don't have that foundation set in place where you've spent time with the Lord Jesus on your own, where you know for yourself, then you won't be able to properly discern good teachers and leaders. And this is where spiritual abuse comes in. This is where heretical strange doctrines come in. This, this is where legalism comes in. This is where all sorts of nonsense comes in. Because if we don't have that foundation based upon the word, based upon prayer, where we know the Lord for ourselves, where we have a personal relationship with him, then we're going to have a lot of trouble discerning what is true and what is false. So that is why I say to you, first, time with the Lord. Then, seek out good mentors. Find good leaders. Are they faithful to the word? Do they love people? Do they communicate truth in a way that helps you grow spiritually? Well, there you go. You found your spiritual mentor.

Another way that we can receive impartation, and this isn't always necessary, but it is, it is something, um, that can, that can be helpful, of course. Go with me to 2 Timothy chapter 1. I'm going to read verses 6 and 7: "This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." Now, this is a little bit of a nuanced point, so let me just unpack this a little. When the scripture describes the laying on of hands, it is in some sense describing the ceremony of appointing leaders. So that verse that tells us, "Lay hands on no man suddenly," it doesn't mean that if you lay hands on the wrong person, that you're accidentally going to catch a demon, as if it's like a pathogen or a cold or something like that. Really, what's being told to us is to not appoint them into ministry too quickly because they may not be ready for it. So granted, there is a ceremony to the laying on of hands that should be acknowledged. On the other hand, we see here that there is a spiritual dynamic that is a part of the ceremony of the appointing that takes place during the laying on of hands. Verse 6: "This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you." So there was something in that, that when hands were laid upon Timothy, that there was a spiritual transfer that took place. Now, we don't want to stretch this to unhealthy extremes. The principle we're simply finding here that's perfectly, uh, founded upon the word, is that when you lay hands, there is a spiritual ual transfer that sometimes takes place. It's important here to note that man can't do this by his own choosing. That God has to be in the laying on of hands in order for there to be a spiritual transfer. So I would rather word it: it doesn't come from man; it comes through man by the will of the Father. 1 Timothy 4:14 says, "So do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you." They're that point is coming to us now. Again, we just want to unpack that very slowly. There is a ceremony to it, and there is a spiritual element to it. There is a ceremonious aspect to it, there is a spiritual aspect to it. The ceremony being that this was a part of the appointment of leaders. It's what they did to recognize new leaders being appointed to new positions. But there is also a spiritual dynamic to this that cannot be ignored. And it is from that that we extract the simple point that spiritual ual dynamics can be transferred to the laying on of hands, to touch, as willed by the heavenly Father. So that is another way that impartation, uh, takes place. The laying on of hands activates something greater in you.

Now, there are some believers who are a little uncomfortable with that term "activates." But all that means is that it stirs up something that the Holy Spirit already put there. So if you've been faithful to the first two, that is, you've established your relationship with the Lord, or rather, he's established it in you, and you are responding in obedience by submitting yourself to prayer, devotion to the word, and worship, that first foundation has to be in place. And then you have good solid teaching. Now, the laying on of hands can have greater impact. Because what happens if you lay hands on someone and they receive an impartation, but they have no foundation of the word in their life? They have no foundation of time with the Lord. They've not been established in the Lord. Now they're going to be appointed in ministry, or given a gift, or given a spiritual dynamic, have that activated in them without first having laid the foundation. It's a dangerous combination. I think of individuals like in Matthew chapter 7. I wasn't planning on reading this, but let's go there for a second. Let me show you something. Go with me to Matthew chapter 7. I'm going to begin reading at verse number 21: "Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On Judgment Day, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.'"

Okay, now we really have to unpack this. And remember, I'm unpacking this in the context of us considering the ramifications of walking in power without, without first being established in prayer and the word and good solid leadership teaching. First of all, whenever you see the Lord saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant," that is, as it applies to us, you have to recognize by what standard he is saying that. Who among us walks in such perfection that we meet God's standard? None of us. Who's the only one who ever walked in such perfection as to meet God's standard? Well, it's the Lord Jesus, of course. So when you stand before God and you hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant," that's not because of the work you did. That's because of the work Christ did. It's not about your performance; it's about his perfection. And in order for you to trade your performance for his perfection, you need faith in his perfection. You need faith in what he did on the cross. So by faith, we exchange records with Christ when we accept the free gift of salvation. So that when God looks at us, he sees his Son Jesus. And when God looks at the cross, he sees your sin. So you standing before the Lord and hearing, "Well done, good and faithful servant," isn't a praise unto you; it's a praise unto the Son. It's not a statement about the perfection you walked in; it's a statement about the perfection Christ walked in. In fact, we see in verse 23, the Lord tells them, "Get away from me, you who break God's laws." In other words, they're lawless. They're sinners. They broke God's law. Well, who's the only one who walked in perfection, fulfilling the law? It's Christ.

Now, watch this. This is, this is insightful here. When you look at it, notice here that these individuals are shocked when they find that they're not accepted by the Lord. They, they can't believe it. "Wait a minute, what are you talking about? But Lord, we, we, we prophesied in your name." That's a scary thought. In fact, very few portions of scripture do I deem as scary. This is one of the scariest, if not the scariest. Why? Because they were so convinced. They were strutting up to the Lord, confident that they would be accepted, and then they were rejected. Now, this might scare a lot of believers, but it shouldn't, because we're given the assurance of salvation. So what was the issue with these people? Well, let me show you. They say in their own words, they reveal their hearts with their own words. Why were these rejected? It's because they were relying upon their own works to save them. You say, "David, how do you know that?" Look at verse 22. What's their defense? Did they say, "Lord, but we believed on you"? Did they say, "Lord, Lord, but we had faith in Christ"? Did they say, "Lord, Lord, but we trusted in the finished work of the cross"? Did they say, "Lord, Lord, but we put our faith in what Jesus did"? No. They said, "Lord, Lord, we prophesied." They thought the prophesying would save them. "Lord, Lord, we cast out demons." They thought because they cast out a lot of demons that it meant that they were on fire. "We're not one of those lukewarm Christians. We prophesy, we cast out devils, we heal the sick, we perform miracles, we preach the gospel. We're not like those lukewarm Christians." Be careful of self-righteousness. That's legalism. That is, by, by, by the way, legalism is the gospel that Paul cursed when he said, "If anyone preaches to you another gospel, even if it's an angel, let him be cursed." Well, what gospel was he speaking against? What false version of the gospel was he speaking against? It was legalism. So when you hear teachings like, "You're going to stand before God on Judgment Day and fretting about the fact that you didn't cast out devils, or fretting about the fact that you didn't heal enough of the sick, or fretting about the fact that you didn't preach enough, or you didn't prophesy enough," that's legalism. That is the heresy Paul the Apostle condemned. And that's ultimately what these, the issue was here. They believed in their own work. They trusted in the power in which they moved. And so that's a bit of a side point, but it's exactly what we're talking about here, where someone can have hands laid on them, yeah, maybe they can walk in power, maybe they can prophesy, now maybe they can cast out some devils. Where is the relationship with the Lord? Where is the faith in the cross? And so this is why I say to you, first, be established in your time with the Lord. First, be established in prayer. First, be established in knowing him and connecting with him and tending to that relationship with him, walking in that union that's already been purchased for you. And then you go out seeking mentors. Don't, don't seek out your mentors before you've had this, uh, connection with the Lord. And I'm not talking about having been witnessed to. I'm talking about people who you say, "I'm going to, I'm going to dedicate myself to being discipled under these individuals." That's biblical. But remember, ultimately, the Lord is God, not man. And it's coming through them, not from them. But you're going to, you're going to be susceptible to spiritual abuse. You're going to be susceptible to heresy. You're going to be susceptible to strange doctrines. You're going to be susceptible to legalistic burdens if you don't first find yourself established in the Lord. Establish yourself in him, and then you receive those mentors. Now you can discern who is true and who is false. Now you can have the Holy Spirit speak to you and say, "That's not the leader I want you under." And maybe there's nothing wrong with them, but the Holy Spirit has someone else for you to connect with. So first, you establish the foundation: time with the Lord. Number two, you receive godly teaching. This is how you receive impartation. Another method. Number three is the laying on of hands. Number four, and I'm really going to challenge the way some of you think here, number four is honor and service.

Go with me now. Get your Bibles. Go to 1 Samuel. We're going to be in chapter 16. I'm not going to read it just yet, but I want to, I want to, I want you to turn there. 1st Samuel 16. Let's start with verse number 14. I want to show you something in just a moment. First of all, I want to say this: our culture today just doesn't understand honor, especially in the day of social media. Now, let me share something with you that I pray you'll have nothing to do with. And please hear this because this is a stern warning to the body of Christ. I say this as your brother. I say this in love. I say this with concern for the direction that the body of Christ is going in, in some sense. Now, I don't have the authority to speak to the whole body. I'm speaking, of course, to just those who who connect to these teachings, and I refer to you as the body. But you'll notice that in this day and age, there is this disdain for spiritual leaders. Now, I understand we've seen many fall. I get that. But that is still a spiritual office. That is still something to be honored. As I do this live stream, there is a presidential election that's underway. And in fact, this evening is the debate. So if you're watching this years from now, uh, you're wondering what debate was he talking about. It's Trump and Kamala. Now, you might say, "Well, you know, one is wicked, one is not." And there's all sorts of opinions. We're not going to get into the politics there. But let me use this as an illustration. If I were to walk into a room and President Donald Trump was standing in front of me, I wouldn't, as some might think is the right thing, spit on the man and yell at him. No. Out of respect for the office of the presidency, I would shake his hand. I would say, "How do you do?" That's what you say to dignitaries. "How do you do?" You know, if you say, "It's a pleasure," they're like, "Yeah, everyone says that." You just, "How do you do?" If I were to walk into a room and there standing before me was Vice President Kamala Harris, I wouldn't scream and yell at her as some think I should. Out of respect for the office, I would shake her hand and say, "How do you do?" Now, if I were to sit down and have a conversation with each one, there's things, of course, that would be a little confrontational. I'm sure if they had me as an advisor, there would be things I would say that neither of them would want to hear. But I would respect and honor the office.

Now, with preachers, pastors, I understand that some pastors are a little strange. I understand that some pastors say seemingly outlandish things. I understand that you may not agree with every pastor on every point of doctrine. But this idea that because I disagree with that pastor, because that pastor comes off a little strange, because that pastor comes off a little weird, that that therefore gives me the right to bash them, talk down upon them, and mock them as some do. And let me just call it like it is. There are some people online who will do that. They'll call out generals in the faith, and they will think that they have the authority to bash them simply because everyone else is. "Well, everyone knows so-and-so is false." "Well, everyone knows he's way out there." "Well, everyone knows she's just this or that." And what's happening is we think we've earned this license to do so. And that line between honor and dishonor for the office that God has assigned has been blurred. Look, if you don't like what I'm saying, that's just too bad. I'm telling you the truth. And this, to some degree, is why I believe the Lord has blessed this ministry in the way that he has, is that we understand honor. Now, I'm not saying, and please hear me now, I'm not saying that there isn't a time to call out wrongdoing. I'm not saying that there isn't a time to call out heresy. But this idea that we can sit back, chuckle, and laugh at people who are God's servants, even though they've made mistakes, that's pure arrogance. And what's happening is people who want to be perceived as the good guy will go after the low-hanging fruit, bash them, feel like they're doing the right thing. People cheer them on. And now that's their virtue signaling. "Look, I'm your champion for truth. Look, I'm policing the internet. Look, I'm the voice of reason, and I'm calling this out. Don't you just love what I'm doing?" And I'm doing it because I care for the body. And often times, it's just a mask. We, as the body of Christ, yes, should call out heresy. Yes, should call out false teaching. Absolutely. I agree. But to be so blatantly dishonoring of God's servants, you better be careful. And I don't say that in any threatening way from me. I'm saying that because the Lord is displeased with that kind of dishonor. Now, again, because I think it's important to balance this, I am not saying that

You should should be under everyone who claims to be a servant of God. I'm not saying that you shouldn't confront heresy, if somebody preaches a blatant heresy, not just a doctrine that I disagree with, or maybe they interpret scripture with a different framework than I applied and come to a slightly different conclusion, and not just on things like tongues and healing and prosperity and miracles and supernatural. No, no, no, no, no. I'm talking about real heresy, not just the things that people get all worked up emotionally over for no reason. I'm talking about actual heresy. You call that out, of course.

But where do we, where, when did we become so comfortable in being so disrespectful? And you'll see it, I'm telling you, especially in this generation. You will see it chuckling and laughing and mocking, and again, so comfortable doing it because everyone else has already said it's been established. This is what you call a preconceived notion. It's a presupposition where they're saying, "Well, everybody knows he is this. Everybody knows she is that." And no time to even debate that, no time for reason, no time for being rational, just emotional reaction to an often pared criticism, and then off to the races with the mockery. It's shameful. It's shameful.

And I'm going to show you why it's important to understand this. Not with you, Spirit family, not with you. We will not be like that. We have to rise above that. And I want to show you something now. We go to 1st Samuel chapter 16. I'm going to go, I'm going to read verses 14 and onward. Watch this now.

"Now the spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. Some of Saul's servants said to him, 'A tormenting spirit from God is troubling you. Let us find, find a good musician to play the harp. Whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you, he will play soothing music and you will soon be well again.' All right, Saul said, 'Find me someone who plays well and bring him here.'"

Now we go to verse 21. "So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very much, and David became his armor bearer." Think about that. The Lord left Saul. The Lord was stripping Saul of his authority. The Lord sent a tormenting spirit to Saul, yet David served him.

Now, some might say, "Well, you know, that doesn't apply to the New Testament because we're talking about a king versus a pastor." And I think that's an okay point to make. I don't think it's entirely robust as some might imagine it is. But that taken into consideration, do note that the Lord was pleased with the way that David honored Saul. In fact, when David had an opportunity to retaliate against Saul, what did he say? He said, "I will not touch the Lord's anointed. Touch not my anointed is what he quoted, neither do my prophets any harm."

Now, we can contextualize this to death. In fact, even when David quoted it, it didn't specifically apply to the situation that he was in. It was about something else entirely. Yet, he still quoted it in his situation. Why? Because it wasn't about the specific instance. It was about the principle upon which David was standing when he refused to retaliate, namely that he honored God's servant. Yes, the Lord was punishing him. Yes, the Lord was done with him. The Lord was dealing with him now, but David said, "I'm an honor still."

Now, that doesn't mean we don't call out falsehood. And again, I want to emphasize that you filter that to the New Testament where we are commanded to test the spirits, where we are told to fight for the faith. And fight for the faith, by the way, is a reference to the basics of the Gospel, not again on those peripheral doctrines about which we become so worked up so often for no reason. What we're seeing here is David honoring a man who is ungodly because he was still the Lord's servant. And David knew, even though this man tried to harm me, even though God is punishing this man, even though God is stripping this man of his, his mantle, if you will, I'm going to honor him.

So the question isn't, "What specifically was the instance in which David used that particular verse?" The question is, "What was the biblical principle? What was the spiritual dynamic? What was the general truth upon which he was standing when he decided to honor that, that's God's servant?" You can disagree with God's servant, sure. You can call out God's servant when they get off track on, again, the fundamentals of the faith, absolutely. You can say, "You know what? I don't want to necessarily be connected to this person anymore." That's fine. Oh, but the very moment you think it's on you now to have a license to freely mock, to gossip, there's great shame in that. And we, as believers, ought to have a little more class. There's, there's a certain elegance that's lacking today in Christian Taoism. And we, as I said, have to rise above that.

You want to see impartation? You can't receive impartation from that which you dishonor. You can't receive impartation from that which you nitpick. And that's what we do. And again, it's a presupposition because once it's been supposedly established that a person is this or that, you know, they get Black Label, they get canceled, if you will. Now, all of a sudden, everyone feels the right because, of course, everyone knows he or she is false. Of course, everyone knows he or she made a mistake. Of course, everyone knows he or she is really weird. So what? God used them. God called them. Who are we to dishonor? Again, disagreement is one thing. Calling out heresy is one thing. But this egocentric, naive, mocking demeanor, that has to go because that says more about us than it does about them. Saul was fallen. Saul was disqualified, but David still honored. And again, honor does not mean you can't disagree.

So there's this transfer now that takes place. There's a transition here where God has done with Saul. Saul is tormented. The Lord left him. The Lord was punishing him. Saul was a wicked man. Don't get me wrong. Don't get me wrong. Saul was wicked. Did David obey everything he said? Of course not. Did David challenge him on some things? Absolutely, you bet. But there was still this measure of honor where he knew, "That's still the Lord's servant. That the Lord is dealing with right now, and I will not harm the anointed of God." Dishonor blocks the anointing. I'll prove it to you.

Go to Mark chapter 6, verse 5. "And because of their unbelief, he couldn't do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them." But what was happening here? Well, just the verse before, Jesus tells us that a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown. So it was a lack of honor that ultimately led to a lack of their ability to receive.

Now, let's take what we've learned here and apply. Am I saying that we should continue to follow corrupt people? No, that's not what I'm saying. If that's what you're hearing, I want, I, I'll probably need to be a little more clear. So let me just say that clearly. No, I'm not saying we follow corrupt people. No, I'm not saying that we never challenge corrupt people. No, I'm not saying you never call out false doctrine. I'm saying your attitude must be checked. Be careful of what's happening in your heart toward flawed men and women of God who are still servants of God, flawed as they are. Be careful. Flawed as they are, be careful. And I would rather air on the side of honor than on the side of mockery, if I'm going to make an error. I would rather be a little too honoring than a little too apathetic toward the mantle that God placed on them.

Now, consider this. Saul was wicked. Saul had been abandoned by God, in, in, in certain terms. Saul had been rejected by the Lord, and he was still honored. So what should we do? And how should this apply to the leaders that God has placed in our lives who have flaws because they're human? Now, let me be clear here, because I do not want this to be taken out of context. I'm not excusing abuse, and I'm not saying that you should continue following people who are corrupt. I'm saying that if David even honored Saul, how much more should you honor the people God has placed in your life, though they be flawed? Maybe they have, maybe they're not as smart as they looked. Maybe they're a little impatient. Maybe, maybe they, they have a little bit, uh, maybe they're a little arrogant sometimes. Maybe, maybe there, there are flaws that you see that are just, I don't know, I can't quite, I can't quite deal with that.

And this is going to happen. This is the tension where, at first, you see a man or woman of God at a distance, and you go, "Wow, what a mighty man of God. What a mighty woman of God." And then, as the relationship begins to develop, you go closer, and you start to see the details, and you start to see flaws, you start to see their humanity. Well, here's the thing about serving and helping and working along servants of God is you're not just working along the man of God or the woman of God. You have to work along the man. You have to work along the woman. And, and that is the human part. And so you'll find flaws with every church. You will find flaws with every leader. You will find flaws with every teacher, every preacher, every evangelist, every pastor, every apostle. Everyone is a heretic to someone. And this, this is just the reality of serving with people.

So either we go to the place where we say, "Unless I see perfection, I'm not serving anywhere. Unless I see perfection, I'm not a part of anything," or we realize, very basically, God uses imperfect people. Of course, we understand that. Paul writes about a certain standard that one has to meet in order to be a spiritual leader in the church. Of course, we get that. But given that, you're still going to see flaws in people. And so here's the thing. The Lord will hide that mantle. The Lord will hide that, that, that, that impartation behind their humanity. I put it this way. I'm convinced that God hides the anointing in abrasive humanity so that only the persistent can receive it.

When you serve the man, or serve with the man, or serve with the woman, their humanity shows. At a distance, you're wowed. You get a little closer, you see their flaws. But then you allow yourself to continue in grace, and suddenly you see little things, and you say, "That's why God uses you. That's why the Lord uses you." I remember one time I was serving at a ministry, um, this was in New York, and I was on the platform watching the service transpire. And there was a preacher there who was just, um, he was doing an offering. It was like a 30-minute offering, and it was just really harsh and very demanding. And I, I remember sitting in my seat, and I began to get real angry. And I'm thinking, "How could you take an offering like that?" It wasn't, you know, it was, it was enough to where I was angry. And I was just thinking, "Everything in me is just like, I'm, I'm going to get out of here. I don't." And I remember saying to the Lord, and, and God forgive me, I said, "Lord, why would you use someone who does that?"

And then this person, with their flaws, and with their everything going on, they began to worship the Lord. And the moment that happened, the presence of the Holy Ghost filled that room in a manifested way. And the Lord says to me, "That is why I use him." We can all point out flaws. And I know that that preacher from New York, they, they were sincere. They truly believed what they were saying. I thought they were a little off, but they believed it. You can be sincere and be sincerely wrong. So I think he was sincerely wrong. But it doesn't matter because that was a flaw. That was a mistake. That was an issue that the Lord was dealing with him on, I'm sure. But he's still a servant. You see, if you don't have the grace for them, then you will not be given the grace to receive from them. It was a long time before Elisha received the double portion, even though he had caught the garment. It was a long time before David became king, even though he was anointed. It was a long time before Christ was incarnated, even though he had had been prophesied. God will give you impartation as you persist.

So listen to me now. I want to pray with you. I pray that God would give you the character necessary to receive impartation. It begins in time with the Lord. That's where you'll cultivate that foundation for the spiritual journey. That's where you begin to be trained in the spirit by the Lord himself. Prayer and the word. Prayer and the word. Prayer and the word. Then the Lord is going to bring you good teachers, preachers. Spiritual leadership is biblical. Don't be rebellious. It's biblical. There are moments where the Lord will use the laying on of hands and prophesying and things like this, such as we see in our meetings and in church services. That will happen. Yes, the Lord will use that to bring forth impartation. And the Lord will use honor and service. As you honor and as you serve alongside God's people, you'll see flaws. You'll see flaws in everyone. But if you have the grace for them, then you'll be given the grace to receive from them.

So precious Lord, I pray each and every one of your servants watching this now, listening to this now, who desire to receive that impartation, an assignment, a gift, knowledge, power. I pray that you would give them the ability to receive, even, even.

Now, even now, the Lord is leading me to pray impartation over you. That the Lord would take a portion of that which he has placed on this ministry, this mantle, that he would pour it out upon his people who are ready to receive it. Get ready now. If the Lord, the Lord is quickening you in your spirit to receive that, receive it.

So Lord, I pray, take a portion of that which you have placed upon this assignment and distribute as you will. Father, let them see greater measures of your power at work in their lives. Let there be an increase in the frequency of miracles, deliverance, encounters with your precious Holy Spirit. Thank you that in this holy moment now, you're causing your power to flow like a mighty river. Use them for your glory. I pray. May we be spent unto your glory as you help us surrender in the mighty name of Jesus, we pray.

I want you to type it in the comment section if you believe it. Type a big amen. Listen, if you enjoyed this teaching, you think others need to hear it, make sure you leave a like on this video right now. That's going to help us reach a lot of people. And also, I want to stay connected with you. Don't miss anything coming out from this ministry. Maybe this is the beginning of a season of impartation for you, where you'll now begin to receive from this ministry. Great. I want you to subscribe to the channel on YouTube. Click that notification bell so you don't miss any of the content coming out to you. I believe this is the beginning of a new season wherein you will walk in closeness with the Holy Spirit such as you have never known. Connect with me today.

Also, I want to challenge you as the people of God to participate in honoring what God is doing through this ministry. If you love what the Lord is doing through this work, you love people being saved, healed, delivered, empowered, I challenge you to participate with what God is doing. Don't be afraid. I know many in this season are holding resources, waiting to see what's next. They're hearing stories of dismay over here and darkness over there, and somewhere concerned for their future. Don't worry about the future. I want to challenge you today to go over to our website, DavidHernandezMinistries.com/partner, and if you haven't signed up to become a monthly partner, do that today. You can do that starting at $15 a month. That's about the same as a streaming platform or a gym membership or things like this. Support the ministry. Do your part. We need you. We need you on board. We can't do this without you. So help this ministry continue to expand. Go to DavidHernandezMinistries.com/partner. You can also give a single gift by going to DavidHernandezMinistries.com/donate. He has never held back from you. Don't hold back from him. Honor the mantle on this ministry by participating in giving for the purpose of the advancement of the Kingdom. I so appreciate your giving. One more time, DavidHernandezMinistries.com/partner. Go and partner today, right now, become a monthly supporter. Or you can go to DavidHernandezMinistries.com/donate to give a single gift.