With Persecution | Bishop S. Y. Younger

Mark chapter 10. [Music] And I'm going to start reading at verse 28. When you have it in your Bible or your smart device, I'm going to ask you to stand for the reading of God's word. And you that don't have a Bible, you can join reading on the screen.

Then Peter began to say unto him, "Lo, we have left all and have followed thee." And Jesus answered and said, "Verily I say unto you, there is no man that have left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the gospels. But he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions. And in the world to come eternal life, but many that are first shall be last, and the last first." And all of God's people said, "Amen."

You can be seated in the presence of the Lord. Uh, just for a few moments before we close today, I would like to share with you a message entitled "With Persecution."

With persecution, Mark chapter 10 is a very interesting uh passage in the Gospels. We get to watch uh Jesus's conversation and dialogue with his disciples as they are walking with him. He's dealing with the subject of marriage and divorce, and he's making a reference to what Moses said. He goes on, uh, the Bible says children begin to come around him, and his disciples says, "Send those kids away. Put them kids out. They Jesus don't need to be bothered with children." And Jesus says, "Leave them alone. Let the children come unto me." As a matter of fact, the kids are an example of the posture that you must have if you're going to ever come into the kingdom of God. And then all of a sudden, here is a young man. The scripture, one gospel calls him a man of youth, and another gospel calls him a ruler or a leader. And so from our Christian tradition, we call him the rich young ruler. He comes to Jesus and calls Jesus good. He says, "Good master." Jesus says, "Why are you calling me good? There's nobody good but God." He wasn't denying his deity. He was just cutting through all of the fluff talk of this young man. And Jesus said, "Yeah, what do you want?" He said, "What does it take to inherit eternal life?" He was asking a question, and Jesus says, "Well, you know, the commandments. Keep the commandments." And the scripture says that Jesus uh looked at, he looked at Jesus and said, "Well, I did that. I've done that, you know, all my life, you know, ever since I was young." He said, "Well, Jesus looked at him and said, 'Okay, so since you're so perfect, sell everything you got and um, you know, people can be saying the right thing with the wrong motives.'" He said, "Well, since you're so good and you got it all together, we'll sell everything you got. There's only one thing left for you to do. Just sell everything you got then and just follow behind me." And the Bible says that the young man walked away disappointed. Why? Because he had a whole lot of stuff. And this is when we get to the text. My my introduction usually is very long, but y'all see how I cut through that. I thought I think I did a good job. Then we get here to this conversation that we're having today. And the disciples say, "Well, if he can't be saved, if rich people can't be saved, who can be saved?" Now, that's that deals with the ideology of the disciples.

Jamie, is that your son here today? How you doing, man? Good to see you. Good to see you. Who can be saved? And they say, >> that deals with their mindset. >> Cuz their mindset is, if people who got a whole lot of money can't afford to get saved, who can be saved? >> Some kind of way in their mindset, in this Roman culture, having a whole lot of stuff is what means you're close to God. >> So who can then be saved? And sometimes when we deal with getting people saved and dealing with evangelizing souls, we think the only place we're supposed to go to is the poor neighborhood. [Applause] >> Oh, we need to bring Jesus to them. >> And anytime we think about getting souls saved, we feel like we need to go to a third-world country, 'cause the mere fact that they don't have a whole lot of food means they need to be saved. When some of the people who are the closest to God, I've met them in some bad conditions. When we talk about souls needing to be saved, some of the presidents of Fortune 500 companies need Jesus. >> When, when the financial crisis happened, I think around 2008, the suicide level went up. And it wasn't because of people on the entry level that lost their jobs, but because multi-millionaires started losing money.

And listen what Proverbs said. I think it's in uh, Proverbs, let me see here. Proverbs, um, somewhere in Proverbs, huh? Proverbs 11 and 28. It says, "He that trusteth in his riches shall fall."

I want to tell you, there's nothing wrong with having. But when you put your trust in what you have, you have fragile faith. >> Because whatever you're leaning on that's not God has the ability and the potential to let you down. >> You can't even put your trust in man because the arm of flesh will fail you.

They said, "Who can be saved?" And Jesus started having this dialogue with them. He said, "It is easier for a camel to come through an eye than it is for a rich man to get into the kingdom." Because sometimes having a whole lot around you keeps you from seeing Jesus. >> There's no faith necessary if you have everything you need.

And we who are believers, the Bible says we walk by faith. Come on, talk to me. And not by what? And the Bible says the just shall live by faith. Tell somebody, "That's the way I'm living right now." Sometimes I look at my desk and I look on my table and I look at the mail that comes in, and at times it seems like there are more bills coming in than money coming in. But some kind of way, God fixes it every week, but there's food on the table and the lights are still on. Talk to me in here. Gas is still in my tank because I realize that my job may be my resource, but God is my source. He said in Philippians, "And my God will supply all of my needs." I know some of y'all get nervous. You looking at Fox News and you're looking at CNN and you're looking at Wall Street and you're looking at the White House and you're looking at the Congress and you're worried about how bills are going to be passed. Let me tell you something. I don't care what they do at the Congress. I'm not saying that. I'm not concerned, but I don't care. At the point that I'm going to lose my peace and I'm gonna lose my mind, I'm keeping my eyes on Jesus. And as long as heaven is not bankrupt, I will not go bankrupt. If he has to use a bird to feed me, he'll use a bird. He'll use a situation. He'll use a circumstance. I need somebody here just to be a quick testimony that he's made ways out of nowhere. He's opened doors that you didn't even deserve to be open. Scream at somebody. Tell them, "And I'm still making it. I lost a job and I'm still making it." They cut back my pay and I'm still making it.

What was he saying? It's easier for a camel to get through the eye. A lot of scholars believe it's not talking about the eye of a sewing needle >> as much as talking about the eye of a gate. In, in villages, especially during the Roman Greco era, they would have had arches 'cause it's a part of Roman architecture. The, the gates would have had arches. After you have so much traffic coming in and out of the archway of a city, eventually it will cause a ditch at the archway. And so once there's a arch, a ditch at the archway above the arch and then a ditch under the arch, it would create the image of an eye. >> And it will become challenging for camels that's loaded to get through this eye. >> So he's saying it's not impossible for a wealthy person to get in the city, >> to get in the kingdom, but it's hard when you're loaded down with a whole lot of stuff. Hallelujah. And so this is the conversation he's having with them. He said, "Now, I didn't say it." He said, "But with man, it's impossible, but with God, >> listen." No, no, no. Y'all got to look at it in the scripture. Look at Mark chapter 10. He looked after he said that, verse 27, he said, "With men it's impossible, but not with God." That means with God, it's possible to have and still be in the kingdom. Oh yeah, that's right. >> Now, if you have and you possess a whole lot and you're not with God, it's impossible. But with God, all things are what? >> It's important for me to say this because >> we have people on one extreme or the other. >> We have people that's in this prosperity theological perspective that says the closer you are to God, the easier your life will be. Look, I must be close to God. Look how well I'm doing. >> Oh, look at all the money I got. I must be close to God. >> That's one extreme. The people who think if I'm close to God, that means I'll never get sick. And if you are still sick, that means you don't have enough faith. >> Oh, if I'm close to God, that means I have no temptation. And the mere fact that I'm still tempted by something I got delivered from means I don't really love God. See that? >> Or you got individuals on the other end >> that says, "I don't have nothing." That means I'm close to God. >> And I don't want to have anything because I don't want to have anything that distracts me from God. >> And they'll look at people who have as people who are distant from God. I believe Jesus gives us a balance in the scripture.

He tells us if you trust in your riches, oh, I'm going to preach here today. >> If you trust in your possessions, >> if your possessions are your identity, you're going to stay outside of the kingdom.

But then Peter looks at him and says, "Okay, that's good. But what about us?" That's what he says in verse, I think, 28 or 29. And he says, "What about us? I hear you talking about rich people and all of that, but what about us who have left on to serve you?"

Now, some of us in this room, we may not say it out loud, >> but we've had some "what about us" moments. >> David even said this. David said, "I'm serving you. >> I'm serving you with all I can. I'm not perfect, but I'm serving you. I haven't did everything right, but I wrote Psalm 23 and Psalm 100. I, I sung Psalms for you. >> But he says, 'My foot, almost slipped.'" >> In other words, I almost backslid. I felt some kind of way when I saw wicked people prospering. Oh, y'all don't, I, I wish somebody would be honest with me on this side that I started to think maybe it was easier when I was trying to live for God. Now, some of you, some of you, you'll have tempted moments to go back to do stuff the way you used to do. When you look at people who are not tithing, >> when you look at people who are shacking, I mean, when you look at people who are comfortable in their sin, >> and it looks like they're happier than you, and it looks like they're happier than you. And it looks like they're happier. I want y'all to get the key word out of this. And it looks like, but the Bible says there's a way that seems easier. There's a way that seems right under man, but the end thereof is destruction. I would rather suffer in the middle and end well than have it good in the middle and end bad. [Applause]

I need you to look at somebody to the left and the right of you. Tell them, "I'll take my chances with God." [Applause] What about us? >> What about us?

You came to us and we dropped our nets. >> We left our business. Our business that we have been trained for since we were kids. >> We walked away. We're following you. And sometimes our family hasn't seen us in a while. Yeah, >> we're following you. >> And because you convicted me in a time of prayer and the person I was in a relationship, we were going two opposite directions and I had to choose you over that relationship.

What about, I, I used to sell a little something on the side. >> Oh, come on. Don't y'all look at me like everybody. Somebody in this room know what I'm talking about. And I ain't just talking about the urban. Some of you suburban people in here know what I'm talking about. You was selling a little something on the side. [Applause] >> But I left it. >> I left it. See, this is the challenge. This is a challenge when you get converted. This is the challenge. And I want to say this to some of you new converts. This is a challenge you will find yourself in. You'll find yourself in what I call a no man's land. When you first start becoming a believer >> and you walk away from addictions or you walk away from the group that was connected to your vice >> is that you get in this thing with God and because God has truly done something on the inside of you, you no longer feel the same with the group that you used to run with. No, no matter when you try to blend with them, at least have cordial conversation, you can't deny something in you has shifted because that same dialogue, you're not there anymore. Because if you want to know where someone is, listen for their language. See, when you get baptized in the Holy Ghost, the initial sign is your tongues. Your language begins to change. When you come into a new place in your life and you come in a new place with God, God starts to shift your language, you don't talk the same. The same things that used to be funny is not funny anymore. Some of you were just high anyway. It was never really funny. So you, you don't fit with them. But then this is the challenge as well. You also don't feel like you fit with the church people. [Applause] Because they always talking churchy. "How you doing? Blessed and highly favored, baby. You still saying what's up? Yo, you're like they're quoting scriptures." >> And you find yourself in this no man's land. It starts, "Where am I?" >> "What about us?" >> "What?" >> "What about us?" "What about us >> who made sacrifices >> for this journey?" And listen what Jesus says. He looked at them and said, "No man >> no man have left his house, his land, his mother, his father, his sister or his brother. No man has left anything for me >> and the gospel's sake >> that will not receive." Put this verse on the screen for me. Will not receive. >> No matter what you left, >> no matter what you gave up, there's no man who have left all of that who will not receive. But ye shall, but he shall receive what? Control. >> In other words, it's going to come back to you multiplied.

I'm going to say this because some of you won't be able to receive it 'cause you can't handle it. >> But there's another group of us in this church. Hallelujah. You don't need poverty as a sign of your closeness with God. [Applause] >> Some of us have already done poverty. We can check that box. We did free lunch in school. We did food stamps. We did fuel assistance. We did, already did it. Maybe you need it for your testimony. I already got that testimony. I know what it is to have to float on the heels because you're not going to get no more gas money until Friday. Do y'all know what I mean by "float on the heels"? That means when you, when you find a hill, you don't put no g, you don't push down on the gas. You float to save fuel. Now, if that ain't your testimony, don't lie. But if you've already done it, tell somebody, "I've already done that." I don't need that as a sign of my closeness with God. But for all of us who've had to leave things and had to give up stuff for the gospel's sake, he says that you, God is saying, "You will never outdo me." Whatever sacrifice you made, you will never outdo me. He will receive a hundredfold. I need you to touch two people. Tell them, "It's coming back multiplied. It's coming back multiplied." You release one seed, but it's coming back as a tree. You up there, up, stop worrying about what you have to lay down. Call, count God worthy of it and have expectation for what he's about to say. Somebody shout "Hundredfold!" Sit up, word down, up and down. You'll tell them "Hundredfold is coming on this road."

The, the grace. You have already experienced seasons of subtraction. You have already experienced seasons of division. But I want you to get ready for a season of addition and multiplication. I need somebody to holler right now. Shout "Hundredfold!" Hundredfold! You will never outgive God. You will never outdo God. Yeah, I know. I know. Yes. But one of these days, oh, over in the by. >> Oh. Oh. When I get to heaven, yeah, I have a mansion. When I get to heaven, I'm going to tell somebody in this room, you don't have to rent your whole life. You can possess. Now, God wants to give you something as an inheritance to your children's children. He wants to give you an inheritance of faith. He wants to give you an inheritance of grace. He wants to give you an inheritance of homes. Hallelujah. Look at your neighbor and tell your neighbor, "Now listen." Put the verse back on the screen. He says, "Hundredfold. Now in this time now and what?" >> "This. Now and this time." I'm gonna prove to you that it's multiplication 'cause go back to verse 29. In verse 29, he says this, "Verily, I say unto you, there's no man that left house, brother, sister, or father, and mother or wife, children, or lands for my sake." And the gospels, right? Go back to verse 29 said, "But uh, verily I say unto you, there's no man that have left what?" >> Go verse 30 and it says, uh, verse 30 says, "But you'll receive now in this time what? >> Houses." Verse 29 said, "You gave up one house." >> Hallelujah. >> Verse 30, he said, "I'm going to release to you houses." >> Yeah, I know. When I start, now you don't usually hear me say stuff like this, but when I start preaching like this, there's about seven of you. You get a little tight. >> You get a little tense. I get it. You say, "Uh oh, this sounds like this sounds like prosperity gospel." Amen. >> Well, the gospel prospers you. >> And, and it's, and let me tell you, and the prosperity of the saints is more than stuff, >> but it includes it. >> See, all of you who think like that is because you're considering trusting in it. >> No, no, no, no. This is a response to me trusting in Him. That because I trusted Him, He says, "Now I'm going to trust you." >> See, the Bible declares in the book of uh, of Philippians, it said in the book of Acts, they found a woman by the name of Lydia. >> She was a wealthy, prosperous woman. >> And when she got saved, she didn't lose her money. >> She, she was a woman who, who made purple garments. I don't have time to go with you to, to explain to you why purple garments were so expensive because it came from a sea creature that they had to extract out of the water to be able to create that dye. So if somebody had a purple garment, most of the time it was reserved just for royalty because you had to have enough money >> to buy it. So she was a maker of purple linens. She had her own company, a woman in ancient times. I come to tell you there's a grace for entrepreneurship on saints that will submit their business to God. I want you to look at somebody, tell them, "Everything I got belongs to God. My business belongs to God." I need every business owner, real quick. I need you to run up here and touch the altar and shout, "I commit my business to God. I commit my business to God. I commit every contract to God. I commit every corporate relationship to God. I commit all of my employees and clients to God. My whole business belongs to God." Because when it belongs to God, God is responsible for it. When it belongs to God, God is committed to it. When it belongs to God, God will preserve it. Give your business to God. Start your day with prayer. Lay hands on your checkbook and your payroll. Lay hands on your accountant and your booking. Everything I've got belongs to God. Put scriptures in your advertisement. Don't be ashamed to market your company with God. [Music] Don't be ashamed to market your company with God. Somebody said, "Hold on. Y'all talking about receiving money and houses and lands." >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Because Lydia had BJ to because she had >> Because she had >> the church in Philippi started in her house. >> That means her house had to be big enough to hold it. I need you to lay hands on somebody. Tell them, "I pray God blesses you with something big enough for you to house the ministry that He's releasing to you." Somebody put a praise in the house. Put a praise. Put a praise. I spoke it now. You need to receive it. I pray God blesses you with something big enough that can house what God is sending you. I pray God gives you something expanded enough, Lord, a large mouth territory. God said, "I want to trust you with it. If you trust me, I want to trust you with it." >> Lydia is responsible for helping finance Paul's ministry into what we know today as Europe. Because she, tell somebody, it means she had it. >> She had the resources. >> She, she had the resources. >> Oh, no. No, no, no. Everybody can't handle it. >> And you that can't handle it, you leave this on the table. >> You leave the hundredfold on the table. You, you that when income tax time comes, you get all of a sudden arrogant and uppy off of a little piece of money that you won't know where it is in 30 days. You leave this on the table. >> You, you didn't forget the people who helped you when you were struggling. When God opens a door for you, you leave this on the table. But you didn't, you did not only want to be blessed, but you want to be a blessing to somebody else. I want you to take this off the table. I want a hundredfold. And I don't want it when I get to heaven. I don't need the money when I get to heaven. I need it in the earth. I don't need it when I get to heaven. We don't need, we ain't going to be cashing in no golden streets. [Applause] We ain't going to be taking the pearls off the gates and putting them around our neck. Even He's going to give us a crown of righteousness. And even that crown is not something we're going to walk around with. We're going to take that crown and cast it at His feet. >> You don't need it for heaven. >> All of you who are waiting to believe God to be prosperous when you get to heaven, you're not going to need it for heaven. >> You needed to expand the gospel in the earth. You needed to help somebody in the earth. You needed to house the poor and the homeless in the earth 'cause there won't be no homeless in heaven. >> So all this in the, in the good by and by, in the by. I just want to see Jesus. >> Hallelujah. >> But He wants to make you a conduit and a channel. >> I know I can trust you because of what you gave up. >> Now in this time, >> put this verse back on the screen >> and I'll close out with this. Now in this time, hundredfold, >> I'm going, I'm going to give you houses. And some of you choosing Jesus meant you lost some of your family in it. >> Now I know y'all, that's something we don't like to talk about. >> But sometimes when you start choosing Jesus, some of your family members won't understand >> and it'll cause a separation. >> That's a scripture that kind of bothered me. He said Jesus said in some situations, "I didn't even come to bring peace. I come to turn people against each other." >> He said, "Anybody come after me, you got to hate your mother, father, and sister." Now, that's confusing to me 'cause God is love. >> But this is what he was saying. He was saying there are times where your love for me will almost look like hate to them. >> Have you ever had to make some strong decisions because of your standard in God and some of your children or your siblings? Oh, you must hate us. >> No, it's not that I hate you. I love God. >> He says, "If you have any man," he said, "I'm going to bless you with houses. I'm going to give you brothers >> that you didn't grow up with." >> I'm going to give you sisters. Aren't y'all blessed and thankful for the family He's given us at the cross? There, there's some people y'all may not have come out of the same womb, >> but you went through some seasons of your life >> and, and they were like a friend that stuck closer than a brother. >> If, if there's somebody near you, have stuck by you and you just get them, they get their attention and tell them, "Thank you for being family to me. Thank you." >> Thank you. Thank you for being, thank you. I, we may not have known each other since we were five, but I could not imagine my life without you. [Applause] >> He said, "I'm going to give you mothers." >> Thank you, church mothers. >> "I'm going to give you fathers." >> "I'm going to give you sisters and brothers and I'm going to give you children." >> "I'm going to give you lands." >> "I'm going to give you houses and uh, and eternal life." And the first shall be last and the last shall be first. And when I read that scripture, the whole room said, "Woo!" Hallelujah. >> Right? 'Cause it's, that means something is going to shift, right? >> Whoever's first is going to be like, God says, "I'm going to do a >> First shall be last and last shall be first." But to have integrity with the text, >> I can't get you to shout in verse 30 >> over the house, the hundredfold, the mothers, the father, the sister, brother, the lands, without lifting up this small phrase >> that we almost would have just ran through >> unless it was on the screen. >> Yes, sir. >> But he shall receive. You're going to receive it now. >> Hundredfold. You're going to receive hundredfold houses, >> hundredfold brothers, >> sisters, hundredfold mothers and children, hundredfold land, and hundredfold persecution. [Applause] Tell somebody, "It's coming with it. It comes with it. You don't get the blessing if you can't handle the struggle. You don't get to work. You don't get to walk in the prosperity if you can't handle the persecution." >> I know you want to be blessed, but the question is, can you stand to be blessed? [Applause] >> This is when you know you're tapping into the hundredfold. >> Because your warfare increases. This is when you know you're tapping into your real destiny and no longer a distraction. It's when you start dealing with increased persecution and warfare. I need you to scream at somebody. Tell them, "This is not a sign to give up. This is a sign to push forward. This is everything that God said. It's coming with persecution because everything else God said is being released." I need you to get out of your seat and tell somebody, "This is your sign. This is your sign. This is your sign. This is your sign. This is your sign." When they start talking about you, this is your sign. When the people at your job start acting funny and y'all used to be cool, this is your sign. When people start getting jealous of you when they should be happy for you, this is your [Music] [Applause] This is your sign. >> Oh, you think you're better? No, I'm just trying to be better. [Applause] This is your. It comes with persecution >> because the more God prospers you, >> the more of a greater presentation He makes out of you. >> And the more public you are, the easier target you become. >> And God says, "I'm not only trusting you with the houses. I'm not just trusting you with contracts. I'm not just trusting you with increase, but I'm also trusting that you will handle the persecution well." Lay hands on somebody. Tell them, "I pray you suffer well. You're going to have to suffer regardless. A man that's born of a woman is a few days and full of trouble in this life. Whether you are saved or not, you're going to go through some sort of hell in your life. But tell somebody, 'I pray you suffer well.' When you suffer, don't suffer like a murderer. When you suffer, don't suffer like a thief. Suffer as an enduring soldier. Suffer like you know who you belong to. Suffer like you got a revelation about your identity." How? [Applause] And let me tell you what Rick Warren said. Rick Warren said, he says, "I am most like Jesus when I don't respond to my critics." >> What? That's suffering well because when you got to get, when you allow what people do to you to change who you are, [Applause] >> you're messing up your hundredfold. Look at your neighbor, tell your neighbor, "Don't let them mess with your money. If they are not paying your bills, oh my God, I said if they are not paying your bills, if they're not paying your children's tuition, don't let somebody mess up your money." [Applause] >> Don't let them change your identity. Yes, sir. >> Don't start operating out of outside of your character. The best way to defend your character is to maintain it. [Applause] >> M. Look at your neighbor. Tell your neighbor, "Maintain. Maintain." [Applause] If you always spoke to them, keep speaking. Hey. Hey. If you always brought donuts, just keep bringing donuts. Well, you don't know what they said. You don't know. You will never be responsible for how somebody treated you. You're only responsible for how you, how you treat them. And if you keep your heart pure, vengeance is mine, said the Lord. Revenge does not belong to you. Hold your peace and let your lawyer, I mean, let the Lord fight your mouth. [Applause] Tell somebody, "Because somebody in this room, you'll start going through things and you're like, 'Hold up. I thought it was going to be better.'" It is better. [Applause] >> But the persecution comes with it. >> No. No. Really? No. No. So, I know. So, you didn't choose poverty. I got it. Poverty is suffering. You don't choose sickness. I get it. But sickness is, is suffering. No matter what extreme you end up on, >> anybody who lives godly will >> will what? >> Will suffer. >> The discip, the way of a disciple with Jesus is a suffering way. >> So when you say, I mean, I can't believe I, I got saved and all of this is happening to me. Yes. And so I want to tell you, just in case in the new members class they didn't cover this >> and maybe this didn't go in the church marketing. I'm not going to tell you, "Oh, come on over here and get saved. Your life is going to be perfect. Come over here. All your bills are going to get paid." No. Come over here. You're going to suffer. >> But it will not be wasted. >> 'Cause how many can say you went through some things that you didn't have to go through? You suffered some things that you didn't have to suffer. >> But this is not wasted. This is not wasted suffering. >> Bishop Rosie O'Neal said this one time. I love her analogies. She said, "This is what some of you come here up here. Marlin, will you help me with this person? It ain't going to be a bad, I ain't going to pick you up and throw you down on the stage or >> Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. >> Just keep your eyes open. All right. What can you see? You can't see nothing, can you? And she said this. She said, "Sometimes," the reason why some of us get so overwhelmed >> 'cause all we see is the thing that we're dealing with. >> And when you let it be this close on you, it's everything. >> You have no friends >> 'cause all you can see is this. You got no joy 'cause all you can see is this. Nothing is working out for you. Nothing good ever happens. Nothing in my life is going good 'cause you're too close on it. >> She said, "Push it back. It doesn't make this disappear. But this ain't everything. >> Your persecution is not everything. Your challenge is not everything. Your warfare is not everything. So may you not be so focused on the demons >> that's been a sign that you miss out on the angels that have accompanied you. >> Put it in my hand, sister. Oh, >> I'm sorry. Glory be to God. Now listen, may you not be so focused on the demons that have been assigned from hell >> that you miss out on the angels that have accompanied >> with persecution is two words in a scripture that's full of blessings. [Applause] >> With persecution. >> It's two words. In the midst of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, houses, and land, may you keep your eyes on what God is doing. May He trust you. May you find yourself trustworthy. Hallelujah. Have y'all ever watched those commercials that talk about medicine? [Music] This will make you feel good. It's known for arthritis pain. People take it. And now I can run. I can ride bikes. Some may include headaches and throw up. And some people even die. [Applause] People still take it. With integrity. They must let us know. >> Jesus says, "I'm not deceiving you >> with integrity. I'm going to let you know." >> But if He told me, I'm going to go through it. See, some of y'all like surprises. I don't like surprises. >> I like to be prepared for it. Stand on your feet. May you be braced [Music] for the storms that come to fertilize your soil. [Music] May you be graced. May you rejoice and be exceedingly glad when they persecute you and say all manner of evil against you for my sake. You don't have to rejoice for it, but may you rejoice in it. [Music] May you not allow it to take your smile. May you not allow it to rob you of your joy. May you not allow it to rob you of your sleep and your peace. And may you not sit up trying to find how you're going to get even. May you not sit up and worry about how you're going to get revenge. [Music] May you be graced to release it and release them that they don't rob you of your creativity that you start counting your enemies and start ignoring your friends. May the voice of your support be louder than the voice of your opposition. Come on, lift up your hands and receive it. And may you win that battle in your mind. [Music] May you take the mind of Christ. May you take the mind of Christ because they're gossiping about you that you won't then gossip about them. That you won't say a mumbling word. May you take the, the character of Christ that you will pray for them. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." May you take your hands off of it. May you get out of the ring so God can fight for you. May it be everything God said. [Music] I see you loaded. I see you loaded with the benefits of God. I see you so loaded that you don't have just enough for you, >> but you'll be a resource for others. Trust these hands, Lord. Trust these hands. Trust these hands. I'll send children to college and they don't have to be mine. Trust these hands. Woo! Trust these hands. I'll expand the homeless shelter. Trust these hands because I know what it is to struggle. So Lord, trust these hands. Make me a channel. Make me a channel. Make me a channel. Make me a J. Just receive now. [Music] [Music] Yes, it's, it's coming, but it's coming on assignment. Don't forget the assignment when it comes. Uh, I'm going to give you about 30 seconds. This doesn't take long. I'm going to give you 30 seconds to do this. I want you to close your eyes. And some of you, you got to go back a little further than last week. I want you to release every negative word that's been spoken that got in your ear gates. They got through your eye gates because somebody sent you a screenshot of a text message. [Music] You got to keep your heart pure. Joseph, [Music] just because you're quiet doesn't mean you don't know what they said. Keep your heart pure. Come on. I release it now. Whether it was a word spoken even by a family member in my youth, [Music] whether it was spoken by somebody in school, because some of you have an identity challenge because you allow your identity to be shaped by the words somebody spoke. You're not what they say you are. You are what God says you are. [Music] Wow. Wow. Wow. So, know this. Will you do this? You've already prayed. Lay hands on somebody's shoulder. Will you do this? 'Cause I can't. I feel like I, I really feel like going around the room laying hands on a hundred of you, but I can't do it today. [Music] May you see your persecution, your challenge, your suffering, not as punishment, but see it as preference. God preferred you. [Music] Well, why things didn't work out for me and why things didn't happen for me. God preferred you, Shannon. You're taking it as punishment. You're taking it as rejection, but it was God that said to Lucifer, "Have you considered my servant Job?" And y'all, Job blessed the Lord in the middle of it without the book of Job to read. But we know the story. He got to the end of it. Houses, lands. He got to the end of it and God restored and gave them double. [Music] He preferred you. This is not punishment. Somebody in this room, you feel like your whole life's journey has been punishment. And you're looking at somebody else's life and says, "Why? Why is their life so easy?" Remember, you don't know people's journey. So Lord, right now in this room, I pray for the people we're touching because Lord, they're dealing with battles that I don't even know about, but you know. So for every word curse that was spoken, I ask you to uproot it and plant a word of blessing, Lord. Hallelujah. For every bullying word, every spirit of vexation, every torment demon, I speak now, Lord, they won't be overwhelmed, but they'll be able to stand up in it. And when the days get hard, let them be reminded that there's more working for them than working against them. Remind them that you are the God of angel armies. And when they don't feel like they have the strength to fight in the high place, that you're releasing angels to fight on their behalf. I speak the blessing of the Lord for whatever they had to give up for the sake of this journey. I speak a blessing of multiplication. Come on, prophesy over them. I speak a multiplied bless. Whatever they had to walk away from, I speak a multiplied blessing. I speak doors opening right now. Whatever they feel like they lost, whatever was repossessed, whatever they lost in a divorce, whatever they lost in a relationship, I speak restoration. Lord, you said in your word, "You were restored back unto us the years that the canker worm and the pomegranate up and destroyed." I speak a multiplied blessing. Bless them indeed. Enlarge their territory. Enlarge their territory. Enlarge their ter. Give them beauty for ashes. Give them strength up here. Give them a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness and for their shame. I feel the Holy Ghost. I need somebody to talk in the Holy Ghost for their shame. Give them double. Give them double for every humiliating moment. For every, every moment that tried to destroy their confidence, for every moment that tried to rob them of their image, I speak double for their shame. Release to them double. Everybody in this room, for the person you're touching, I want you to open up your mouth and release a shout of praise. Release a shout. Release a shout of praise. Hey. Hey. I want you as we leave this place, I want you to wrap your arms around somebody. Tell them, "It's working for you. It's working for you. It's working for you." Yes, they put nails in his hand. Yes, they put nails in his feet. Yes, they put a crown of thorns on his head, but they messed up. They messed up. They put him on that cross. They messed up when they lifted that cross up on the top of their heel. They messed up. They thought they were embarrassing him, but they messed up when they lifted him up. They messed up because he said, "If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw on it." What the devil tried to do to embarrass you, what the devil tried to do to destroy you, God says, "I'm going to use it to promote you." I need somebody in this room. If you know the testimony of chosen, you can declare, "You for my evil, you meant it for my demise, but God turned it around." I tell somebody, "Just turn around by faith. Tell it's going to be good. Ah, it's going to be good. It's going to be good. It's going to be good if you can just make it through it. It's going to be good if you can push through it in your head. It's going to be good." The Bible says, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God." I pray that something was spoken in this message today. It spoke to your heart and spoke to your spirit. It was not by accident that you landed on this video. May it be an expression that God is mindful of you. He sees. He knows and He cares. I want you to stay connected. There are social media pages where you can like and follow and you can stay connected to what we're doing and where we're going to be. And also, if you want to continue to get these messages, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel. It's free of charge. All it costs is an open heart and an open spirit. If you feel led to sow into our ministry, uh, to connect and sow into what we're doing domestically and internationally, there are ways to give. And remember, when you sow, that seed may leave your hand, but it will never leave your life. This is Bishop Younger saying, "I know what it feels like to want to stop and want to quit. But whatever you do, don't stop here. Keep going." [Music]