1.11.26 | Patrica Estes

Good morning.

So, I want you to know that as Alex was

preparing to preach today, he came up.

He was even in the parking lot

and he wanted to so badly and he just

text about 15 minutes and he said, "I

can't get out of the car and I'm very

upset." But you know that's that's

dedication, right? It's dedication to

know that we carry an assignment that

we're it's burning inside of us and we

don't want to not fulfill it. Amen. So I

won't be able to make you laugh like

Alex does.

Maybe I'll make you cry.

But I do believe that there's a word

that the Lord has for us. And if you

will just bow your heads for a moment.

Lord, I thank you because your kingdom

come and your will be done on earth as

it is in heaven. I thank you for this

opportunity to stand in your holy pulpit

with your holy word

before your holy people

in this holy moment.

And I ask Lord that you will open up our

understanding.

That you will give us ears to hear what

heaven's saying.

That it will articulate everything that

you've given. And Lord, beyond this, as

we step out these doors that were so

full of the kingdom, that we take it out

and we water very dry soil

that we're the light in darkness, the

salt of the earth. And I pray this in

Jesus' name. And everyone says, "Amen."

I'd like to take your attention to Luke

Luke 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2. If you'll turn in your Bibles

to Luke chapter 2 and I'd like to start

Luke 2 · chapter mention

with verse 41.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every

year at the feast of the Passover. And

when he became 12, they went up there

according to the custom of the feast.

And as they're returning after spending

the full number of days, the boy Jesus

stayed behind in Jerusalem. But his

parents were unaware of it. But

supposeded he him to be in the caravan

and went a day's journey and they began

looking for him among their relatives

and acquaintances.

When they did not find him, they

returned to Jerusalem looking for him.

Then after three days, they found him in

the temple sitting in the midst of the

teachers, both listening to them and

asking them questions. And all who heard

him were amazed at his understanding and

his answers. When they saw him, they

were astonished. And his mother said to

him, "Son, why have you treated us this

way?

Behold, your father and I have been

anxiously looking for you." And he said

to them, "Why is it that you're looking

for me? Did you not know that I had to

be in my father's house or about my

father's business?

So today I want us to just pause a

moment

as we're beginning this year and and you

know in our mindset and how we are we

are in this Gregorian calendar and we

see January as the beginning of the year

and it's a time that we we've learned to

emotionally and mentally reset. It's

like a beginning. But if we're not

really careful, the reset will be for a

moment. Like how many of you go to the

gym and in January it's absolutely full

and then you know it's hard to get the

machines you want. You know everybody's

there but just give it a little bit of

time, right? But we don't want to be

those people in the spiritual arena that

we reset and we step in and we say,"I

want everything that God has for me."

Now, if we're understanding that God,

he's on he's over every calendar. And he

is the one that's setting the time in

place and he knows how he's marking

history. He's marking time. And what

he's saying to us, and we've got to be

carefully listening, is that I'm calling

out my people. I'm calling out my

people. Now, there's a determination.

Just because a person goes to a house or

a building that has church written on it

doesn't mean that they're his people.

And just because a building has church

written on it doesn't mean that it's his

people. And so he's defining and he's

calling out. He's already defined in his

word, but he's putting a weight on it

right now. And he's saying, "I need my

people to come out. I need my people to

be alert. I need you to be on task. I

need you to be about my father's

business." And so here Mary and Joseph,

they have this one task, keep up with

the Messiah. And he lo they lost him.

And so there they are. They're looking

for him. They go back and he's just

looking in his 12-year-old mind, but his

wholly, fully developed God self, and

he's thinking, "What's wrong with you?

Shouldn't I be doing this? Isn't this

natural that we're centered in the very

reason that we were born, that we're

centered for purpose and for calling?"

You and I, we get so distracted with

earth that we become mere earthlings.

And we get so distracted by the things

that are going on that we forget that

we're called for a purpose. We have been

bought by the blood of Jesus and we are

carrying with us our cross and and that

weight is not too much because Jesus

asked us to carry it. And as we're

standing in 2026, the earth is not going

to look the same in a few years. The

Lord is shouting out shouting out. The

prophets are shouting out, the very

spirit of God that is in us is shouting

out to be alert, to be aware that this

is a new season. This is a new time.

It's not going to work sitting in these

buildings being entertained, giving

popcorn. It's not going to happen.

That's not what's going on. We're not

here to see if we last week we gave you

one dog w going through the hoop. Now

we're going to give you three and we

hope you like it. This has got to be a

new season is a change of the guard.

It's about us getting back to the word

of God and knowing what he's saying for

us to do. And so as we are understanding

the Lord has a word for us today and

it's stand on business. And then if

we're going to stand on business is

whose business are we standing on? I

feel the fire of the living God coming

inside of us. I feel the fire OF THE

LIVING GOD COMING UP AND resonating and

said, "What did I call you to do?" If I

called you to sing worship to me, THEN

WORSHIP ME AND THROW DOWN YOUR IDOLS. If

I called you to speak my name, speak my

name with a fear of the Lord and carry

my name in my presence everywhere you

go.

>> And as we're at this most wonderful

time, I remember my journey. I was

thinking about it and I want you to

think about your journey.

My family, we we didn't like I grew up 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 years old. We weren't like

telling Bible stories. We weren't

building altars in our house.

There were many other things going on in

our home. But

there was a man that stood on business.

He was called to a little rural town

with a couple stoplights

and he was called to pastor a church and

to make disciples.

And so every week he went out and he

wasn't being paid full-time. He was

working at a job in in vocational work

and then he was also pastoring this

church. And every week he would go out

and he would visit. And one of the

places he visited was a rural house in

Saluda, South Carolina.

And he would knock on that door.

Jean knows him. He's Larry Anderson. He

would knock on that door and he my dad

would answer the door and he'd let him

come in for a m a moment and that pastor

would invite us to church because he

said, "God has something great for you

all. There's my dad, my mom, and four

daughters. God's got something great for

you." But he'd leave and we made our

same plans every Saturday and Sunday.

We're on the lake skiing. We're out

there grilling hamburgers. We were doing

important life-changing things and that

was what we did every single weekend. We

were about us. We were entertaining us.

We were doing what we wanted to do.

But you know, the man didn't stop with

one knock on the door, two knocks on the

doors or three knocks on the door. He

came week after week after week after

week because he was standing on

business.

>> He had to make an impact. And so one day

when he came, maybe it was eight or nine

visits,

my dad closed the door and he said,

"We're going to church on Sunday just so

that man quits bothering us."

And God knew we had he had one shot. So

we all got saved the first Sunday.

And there it started.

nine years old and I was I was just a

few weeks after that baptized with Holy

Spirit and fire. And I'm going to tell

you whatever happened at nine kept me

through my teens and my 20s and my 30s

and my 40s and my 50s and my 60s almost.

I'm I'm walking in those 60s right now.

And I said, "Lord, I don't know what

that baptism was, Holy Ghost and fire,

but give it to everybody here at North

Palm. Lord, give it to everybody in our

city and our state that we will not bow

TO ANY OTHER ALTAR THAT THERE WILL NOT

be anything more beautiful than Jesus."

So that we can be the people who are

called according to his purpose and we

fulfill it. and we fulfill it.

>> So, as we're standing here, 2026 is not

a year to wander around.

It's a year of clarity, stewardship, and

kingdom occupation.

Clarity, stewardship, and kingdom

occupation.

Listen,

one of the ways that the enemy will rob

from us is keep us wandering around in a

circle.

And it's not God's intent for us to

wander around in a circle. It was never

God's intent for Israel to wander around

in a circle. It was his intent for them

to go straight into the promise, but

because they decided, they wandered

around in a circle. And listen, I really

believe that this past two decades that

the kingdom of God in the United States

of America, the people of God have been

wandering around in a circle. But let me

tell you something. There's death taking

place to those o guards.

>> There's death taking place to those o

patterns. There's death taking place.

And there is a people that is being

raised up for such a time as this. And

she does not fear any other thing but

not doing what the Lord wants her to do.

>> And you know what? As we're standing

here, I saw some of you I know started

your Bible reading plans and me Maria

Rice through obedience because she

didn't want to do it. But through

obedience,

she went on to social media and she's

talking about getting addicted to the

word of God.

>> I want us to pick up in this moment a

decision to be obedient to the Lord,

>> whatever it looks like.

whatever it cost us.

>> If it doesn't give us fame, be obedient.

>> And I hope it invites haters into your

life because then you're marked because

they hated Jesus. They're also going to

hate you.

>> And if you don't have some opposition,

then you're back over here in this old

guard

>> because listen, we have to get so

addicted and we have to know what this

word says. And there's too many pullpits

in the United States of America that's

not carrying the sword of the spirit and

this word of God into a place so that

people know what's right and wrong.

>> And so we need to begin to pray every

time you go by a church, pray that that

pullpit is filled with truth,

>> that nobody bows.

>> We're not bowing to anything else. And

people will tell me, "But really, do you

think politics really belong in the pull

pit?"

>> Listen, politics has tried tried to take

over the pull pit by redefining family.

>> Politics have out there been trying to

pass laws to thwart what the word of God

says. If we don't stand in the pull pit

and declare the word of God, we are lost

and our children are lost and our

grandchildren will be lost. We have to

begin. And let me tell you something.

This is a pullpit that's only used a few

hours a week. The pullpit I'm talking

about is where you walk every single day

because you're a preacher. You're a

preacher of the gospel OF JESUS CHRIST.

WHEN YOU WALK in your house and you turn

on your TV, you're preaching a message

to your children. When whatever COMES

OUT OF YOUR MOUTH, you are a pull pit.

And you are when you go to work, every

decision you make is a pull pit. You and

I must begin to walk with the fear of

the Lord. We must begin to understand

that we are the children of the most

high God. We're oracles of heaven. The

word of God is inside of us and it must

come outside of us. You and I must

decide that our children for me and my

house. We're going to serve the Lord.

What does that really look like? Does

that look like cursing everybody out,

screaming, uh slamming doors, not

praying? What does it really look like

in your house? What does it look like?

What kind of pull pit are you really

building in your home? How much prayer

does your children see you praying?

Moms, are you gossipers? Are you all

talking about everybody else? Or are you

building a pull pit that says, "I want

my children to see me. I want my

children to be able to walk after me and

know that I am following after the

Lord." You can follow me and find your

way to Jesus. That's what OUR PULLPIT

MUST SAY. And we have to be able to love

him more than we love anything else. And

as we're standing here in this time when

heaven is crying out, "Come on church,

do business. Come on church, stand on

business. Come on, have clarity. What is

your message?"

One of the saddest things that happens

is when a person is not really committed

to their marriage.

So, they're in and out of their

marriage. Doesn't just affect them. It

affects the person they're married to,

their children, the people outside.

It's a terrible thing. That's awful. It

brings so much pain. And I look at those

people and I say, they're only living

for themsel.

But what is worse is for us to be

Christians not fully committed to

covenant.

>> That's where it's really bad. Because if

we're called by Christ, but we're not

committed to the covenant of Christ,

then we give dual messages out

everywhere we go. We're not walking in

the clarity of the word of God. Our yes

is not our yes. Our no is not our no.

We're building altars to other gods.

And listen, if you and I are not awake,

do you see that Islam is not only taking

pull pits, it's taken cities. Do you see

Islam is not only taking cities, it's

taken states. Wake up.

>> Wake up. Know what's happening and know

that there is no power greater than the

power of God, our God, the true and

living God. But there has to be a voice.

There has to be a people. THERE HAS TO

BE A REMNANT that comes forth. And you

and I are called to be that remnant in

the name of Jesus.

Also, as we were talking about that, not

only will it be clarity, it'll be

stewardship.

There was something about this identity

that Jesus was setting above anything

else. He was identifying, I am centered

in the very purpose of my existence. At

12 years old, he was saying, I am

centered in the very purpose of my

identity. He was stewarding his call.

And then if we go a little bit further

in Luke and we look in chapter 19,

there's another a parable that's given

about a master that he was going to go

away, but he left some money, some

minions to three different stewards.

And there's something about stewardship

we don't really understand. There is a

demand on accountability in stewardship.

And here we see in this parable and it's

right there in the New Testament jumping

out because some people like to say,

"Oh, Old Testament, Old Testament." But

this is New Testament and it's jumping

right out and it's saying, "Here is

accountability. What did you do with

what I gave you?

What did you do with what I gave you?"

And he was not saying, "Oh, well, I took

care of it. I hid it. I put it over here

so I wouldn't lose it. He didn't applaud

that, right?

He said, "What?

You just held on to it? That's all you

did? Give it back to me. Let me give

some it to someone who stewarded

better."

So you and I have to understand that

there is a demand on stewardship in this

time. And in this demand of stewardship,

you and I are going to give an account.

How about that administrative gift I

gave you? How about that call to fund

the kingdom I gave you? How about that

intercessory gift I gave you? How about

that prophetic gift I gave you? How

about that evangelistic gift I gave you?

How about that ability to speak to

anybody I gave you? that ability I gave

you to speak to anybody and all you did

was and it meant nothing.

What did you do with what I gave you?

This is the year to be great stewards.

Right now, just raise your hands right

where you are. Lord, I decree the

stewardship of stewardship.

I decree an awakening to realize that

they are gifted,

that they have a calling, they have an

anointing, that there's something great

moving inside of them, that you've

called them to live in this time, in

this season, in this place. And it's not

just to take up space, but is to occupy.

And Lord, I pray over them that they

will be the best stewards. that one day

when they stand before you, they'll

hear, "Well done, my good and faithful

servant." Well done, my good and

faithful servant. And I decree that in

the name of Jesus. Amen. In that

scripture

in Luke 19, he says, "I want you to

occupy." That word occupy means do

business. I want you to do business

until I come. And so you and I, we've

got this call to be about our father's

business. We have this call to be to

have clarity to know exactly what's

moving. We're not confused. We're not

distracted. We're not double-minded

because a double-minded man is unstable

in all their ways. So you and I, we're

not double-minded. We have clarity. We

understand the demand of stewardship.

And then also we understand this is the

time of kingdom expansion.

So when you begin to take ground, it

takes a little bit of work. So if you

were going to plant a garden on on a

lawn, a piece where lawn had been, you

have to take and get all that grass up.

Some of it's hard. You have to get the

rocks up. You have to clean it out. You

have to soften the ground. It takes work

to be able to produce fruit. And now

we're here at this moment where the

Lord's saying kingdom expansion. So

don't think in the time of kingdom

expansion that it's just going to be all

hurray haraz and give you some trophies.

Sometimes you're going to cry some

tears.

It's okay. Cry those tears. Sometimes

you're going to have to go and lament

before the Lord and you're going to have

to seek him out because I want to ask

you a question.

Do you understand that the prophetic

words that's over us in this season

says, and this is for the United States,

that there will be moments when the

hospitals can help the people that

they're actually checking out the

hospitals and they're going to the

churches to be healed.

>> Are you ready for that? Do you believe

for do you have enough faith for that?

Do you have enough faith for that? Are

you going to be here?

Are they going to find people ready to

heal them when they come?

>> I want to ask you something. If you're

leading people and there's a need, can

you call down mana from heaven?

There there's these moments where the

supernatural has to become so natural

for us because we're in this time where

we have to occupy until he comes. So

there's this two way thing that happens.

Jesus came that we might be saved. So we

move from darkness into light and then

we are we know that we've got this place

in eternity. The day we step off earth,

we step into eternity with him. But then

there's this other portion that we've

not done so well and it's live

abundantly.

And I came to give you life and to give

it to you abundantly. We know life is

abundantly in heaven. But what about on

earth? How are we living on earth? Are

we these poor poppers that are crying

around and crawling around just I'm just

trying to make it another day?

What is it? When people see you, what do

they see? What do they see? Have you do

you remember the cartoon Peanuts

character that always had like a cloud

over his head?

Do you want to be that?

>> Do you want to be one of these that

you're just always always into something

but never never doing anything?

>> So you and I have to be these people who

understand we carry a badge of honor. We

carry the cross of Jesus Christ. We've

taken the name. We have taken the name

of the king. And so as we're moving

forward, we have to know our identity.

No more can there be an identity crisis.

>> And that's what it's been for so long,

you know, everybody and and and I know

that you might have heard this already.

Um because it was preached from this

pullpit, but that so many people years

ago, what do you want to be when you

grow up? I want to be a fireman, a

police officer, a teacher, a doctor, a

nurse. I want to be a farmer. whatever

they wanted to be. They wanted to go and

do something, be something. And now

what's happened to the psyche not only

of children but of adults? I want to be

famous.

I want to be known.

>> I want to be liked on social media. I

want to have enough followers. I want to

have enough likes. I want to be famous.

It's a disease.

It's a strategy of the enemy because we

can never be satisfied because ever how

much fame we get, we need a little bit

more and a little bit more. But the name

the the very moment that your name was

written in he heaven, you became famous.

You became famous and your name is

written in the lamb's BOOK OF LIFE. AND

THAT'S ALL THE FAME WE NEED because if

he knows our name, that's sufficient for

the greatest fame ever. And you and I

are walking in these moments of time and

we're going to see the Lord. We're going

to see him powerful. And I hope you're

all with us. I want all of you to be

running this race. I want you to all be

counted as worthy. I want you all to be

saying, "I picked up my cross." But I'm

going to tell you, if you don't, we're

just going to wave at you and keep

moving right on because we've got a

great work to do. The just like the

apostle says, we have this great work to

do and I can't be distracted. A matter

of fact, I can't even leave Ephesus

right now because it's so great what's

going on. Because he says this great

effectual door has opened. I want to let

you know right now, Christian, that a

great effectual door has opened before

you. And this is the time to make impact

for kingdom expansion LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

AND THE QUESTION IS, do you want kingdom

expansion? DO YOU WANT THE KING to have

more territory to HAVE MORE WHAT HE DIED

FOR? HE DIED THAT ALL THE world may be

saved.

>> And here we stand. Here we stand at this

moment of invitation.

And we're going to enjoy the great

things. We're going to enjoy this earth.

We're going to eat the best fruit of the

land. Have the best homes, best cars, go

on the best vacations.

But don't make them your God.

>> What's most important is what kingdom

impact am I making today?

Who's following me? Who's following me?

Not into a ditch, but into the closeness

of the greatest thing that ever happened

to me. And so, as you and I are moving,

I hear him saying, "It's time to stand

on business.

It is time to stand on