LUSH - 8.31.2025 - 12PM (Pastor Terrance Richmond)

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Love Quest International

Church Podcast, where we seek to love all nations, equip the

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It's go time. Let's get into it you.

Can be seated in this moment? How many people been here, maybe

for the last few weeks, as we've been talking about the

perfecting of the Saints? If you have, can you just raise

your hand, please? He is perfecting us.

And because of what? Don't look at me.

I don't. I don't got the answers.

I gave them to you all, huh? The wind's about to blow.

Thank you. Before we get started, I would

really encourage you to go listen to this morning, man.

Wednesday and last Sunday and really encourage you to go

listen to this morning and because I'll go through a few

things, but I'm going to go through them pretty quick

because I want to move on to same same context but different,

different angle. So we've been talking about the

perfecting of the Saints. Somebody say the perfecting of

the Saints and when we started this conversation it was we

started in John 15 I believe it was about him purging and

pruning. Somebody say purging and

pruning. So he purges and prunes and

anybody remember why he purges and he prunes so we can?

Have more lavish fruit and he purges and he prunes.

The fruitful and the unfruitful both are connected to him.

So I can't help but to think that this is a image of

believers. I hate using believers because a

lot of times our believing stopped at getting into the

Kingdom, not walking out the Kingdom.

When I think of a believer, I think of someone who believes

Jesus, not believe in what he did for their sins and then stop

because we just needed to be rescued out.

Of the the consequences of our sins.

But when I think of a believer, I think of a follower.

You're not a follower if you don't believe and you're not a

follower if you don't do what follow.

And so I think in explaining everything that he has been

sharing with us over the last man forever, but over this last

couple of years being in this process of the Remnant project

and things of that nature, he's trying to explain to us why

we've been going through what we've been going through

corporately and individually. And we established a few weeks

ago that I wasn't alone, that it feels like we've been in a

season where I might be seeing a little bit of progress, but I

just don't seem like I'm getting ahead right.

I'm some would say one step forward, 2 steps backwards and

we establish no. And God in Christ, you're never

going backwards. You might pause, you might have

to be still, but you're never going backwards.

And we need to learn how to be. Content with the progress we've

made and give ourselves and give Jesus a little more credit in

your life because it's almost like for some people he haven't

done enough for you. It's kind of like, can you do

something else to show me your, your him.

Oh, OK, that was cool. But can you do something else?

We, we kind of get watch this. We get tired of His goodness,

but we need it every day. And if His goodness stop, then

we'll probably be longing for His goodness.

But maturity knows how to praise Him.

Like I don't need bad to happen for Him to get my best praise,

right? And so we understand that that

perfecting produces lush, a lush life in Christ.

And we understand that that lushness has it is very little

to do with monetary gain, although that is a byproduct of

it. But it's more about who we

become aside from what people monetary, any monetary gain.

I was going to say, aside from what people can see, like

tangible fruit, and it's funny because what everybody is

looking for in the world, the church is called to provide

through Christ. The reason why I want millions

of dollars, the reason why I want the house on the hill, the

reason why I need your approval, the reason why I want to get

married, the reason why I want children, the reason why all

these things we're after. It's because we're trying to

fulfill something within. It's the reason why I want to

get an education, the reason why I want my own crib, the reason

why I want my own card, the reason I want to get married.

All these things is if you really was honest with yourself,

there's an area in your life you just ain't happy and you think

Blank is going to satisfy it. And we're willing to do anything

to fill Blank except trust God. And then what we do is we fill

God into the blank and we just say that this blessing happened

in Jesus name, or I'm moving in Jesus name, or I'm getting

married in Jesus name, or I'm doing this in Jesus name.

And we put Jesus name on everything Christians.

And so we're in an hour where God is going to raise his

remnant, the wind is about to blow and the other side of the

wind blowing. Besides blowing in this life, it

also. Leaves you only with what He

needs, not with what you need. God comes to blow because He

wants to prove to you that you can actually get through life

with joy without having what you put in His place.

Right, I see God doing a new thing.

I was just in the in the states a couple days ago went to our

Buddy Miles Minnick album release thing and you know, we,

we had a moment. He was a part of our youth

ministry. Him and his wife babysat my

children for a little bit. We have had life together.

I was there in the beginning. He had his first child at 15

years old. And what God is doing with him,

he is the right person at the right time in the right amount

of darkness in the world. He could be trusted.

And what's on him that's evident.

It's a joy. It's a it's a fire.

And then I go there and I'm just like.

You, you, you. See that he's being raised in

the midst and if he can handle it, if he can handle the

pressure, because we often think that's where we want to go.

Until that till the church start persecuting you because they

don't understand the call. But he got the support group

around them. He got they got the swag he got

he has a lane. But what what I see God doing

right, He's on Breakfast club. He's on and some of you guys

don't know. I don't have time to explain.

Go check it out. What breakfast club is his

features on his projects is is is global artists and and on his

music. He's talking about Jesus and

they're letting them in. They're they're he's, they're

letting him in and his whole little move in is the new

mainstream and the the wind of God is blowing on them, right?

And God is looking for a people that he can maneuver in these

spaces that will not compromise, that won't let they fire go out,

and will do whatever before the Lord to exist in the spaces God

wants to go to. But what he is about to show the

Lil Uzis and all the people that he has gotten, you know, he's

gotten the attention of these artists or God has.

And it's like, well, the only way to tour the world and make

millions of dollars doing this is to sell your soul.

And what you're about to watch is he's going to make millions

of dollars. He's going to.

He's already cleared all of his dead here.

This 15 year old kid running the.

Streets. And he's about to be a light to

all these artists who think they watch this, They don't.

They love God like like anybody. They like any ATL, all these

they've been to church, or at least they got somebody from the

church praying for them. And what are you about to show

them? And what God's about to display

is, look, you can have, you can be a father, you can be a son,

you can be a provider, you can do bop, bop, bop, bop, and you

don't have to sell your soul. So almost like God to follow

Jesus totally and wholeheartedly somehow it's like he's trying to

take away the lavishness of our lives.

No, he's actually trying to bring us real fruit.

Somebody shout out real fruit, right?

Like he's the comforter. He's all that you looking for a

spouse. He's all that you looking for

kids. He's all that you looking for

for financial overflow or or or financial for he's all he's all

of that then some and all he desires is that you give him all

of you for more than two months, like till it becomes a lifestyle

till you no longer are in need of vacant spaces being filled

because you let him fill every area of your life.

He's become the source of your life.

And then. Boom, you want to talk about

real fruit because he's called us the fruit that what remains.

John three shows us that the wind blows where it wills and

though you hear it sound yet you neither know where it comes

from. Somebody say the wind is about

to blow. The the the, the the dangerous

part is you don't know when it's coming.

So it's best you just be ready. But ain't it's crazy.

I don't know about if I'm maybe I'm the only person like

sometime I don't like getting ready till it's time to get

ready, at least till I think it's time to get ready, right.

I don't like showing up nowhere till I know it's only going to

be a little window of time before I'm I'm going on stage or

I'm going to do this activity or I'm about to play the game.

Like, like there's this thing about us is we like I don't mind

getting ready, but I just need to know for show when I put on

this suit to see King Jesus, he going to come.

We I don't want to be wearing my dress for too long because then

I'm going to get irritated with Jesus because I'm going to be

like, where you at? Why you taking so long?

I got all these questions because you got me.

You got me sitting here holy and perfected, but I ain't getting

no action. Why isn't my stance attracting

you? Why?

Well, I did all this for you, Jesus, and he's like when you

are trying to make a transaction, you ain't ready

yet. When it just becomes I don't the

fiery furnace if he don't show up Jesus in the garden of

Gethsemane. Lord, take this cup.

But even if you don't, nevertheless, right?

We say we're believers, we say we're followers of Jesus, but

what are you willing to pay for him to maximize your life?

So we see this wind that blows, this wind.

This word is pneuma. Pneuma is breath or wind, spirit

or life force, the vital force or breath of life that gives

rise to consciousness, sensation and thought.

So when this wind comes in, it is come to give us.

Better views before a better lifestyle.

Come on. Better views over better

lifestyle. Better views over better

lifestyle, right? And this is what you don't

understand. Sometime is you can get your

life upgraded without getting your stuff upgraded.

But you got your life wrapped up in stuff.

So if stuff ain't getting upgraded, you think your life is

the same? So you sitting around we sitting

around waiting on promotion and more this and more that and and

wait until I get out. Do you know you can have joy

while you got some debt? I get it.

There's a different type of. Joy, there's a different type of

freedom that comes with financial freedom.

There's a different type of, but at the same time you sitting

here waiting like like really? God's joy, God's joy, and God's

piece He has for you is tied up in stuff you desire.

See how we just pull God down to our level?

Man, I, man, I really want to get in this building, but you

know how much fun I've had in this garage, right?

And that's when God does just super like, God's like man, can

you, can you just show? Can you, can you just have fun

with whatever I allow you to have?

So when you get over there, like if he was a person like us, you

like a groupie, you like a groupie sing you, like a gold

digging sing you you just only happy when it works for you.

It's just like yes, no, he yes, no, no AC, yes, concrete.

Yeah, we got mats. Yeah, it's some but but if but

but we got God right and and having Jesus is not an excuse to

go without. It's not either or so I'm not

saying I'm good with this. No, like I said this morning,

you got to get courageous enough and know that God is OK with you

saying the blessing that showed up, it ain't it.

It's a blessing. But this they would not have

been wrong. God kind of wish they

understood. That the manner wasn't the

promised land. God is OK with you saying I'm

going to Stewart this, I'm going to take care of this, I'm going

to love this. I'm man, this little beat up

car, man. I'm going to wash it.

I'm going to wax it. I'm going to scrub these

hubcaps. I'm going to take care of this

thing. I'm not waiting for the bends to

detail my car. I'm not waiting till we get over

there to put paint on the wall. No, I'm not.

I'm not like these speakers. Don't deserve to be in here.

What are you talking about? And and it's like some of us in

here were waiting for that to show up.

But what what about when that show up?

What if it don't satisfy you? Then what you going to do back

to your checklist? Bombard in heaven with your

checklist. Watch this What would your

prayer life look like if you took your desires off the altar?

Yeah, come on, write that question down back in the back.

I see y'all in the back, right? Right.

Don't just stare at the screen. Right?

That's a good question. What would it look like if you

took? What would your prayer life

sound like? Would you have any tears in your

prayer life? Would you have any passion?

Would you have any consistency in your prayer life if you took

your desires off the altar? Help us think, Holy Spirit.

It's a great question, Holy Spirit.

What if the only thing at your altar and in your prayer life

was God? Here's the crazy part.

That's all prayer supposed to be about.

Yeah, what? It's not a Christmas list.

God's not really interested, he said, he said.

Delight in me. I'll give you the desires of

your heart. He's interested in you and him.

Seek me first, the Kingdom of God and my righteousness and all

these things, and all these things be added.

He's not interested in your Christmas list, especially when

it's bigger than your desire for the fruit of the Spirit.

Yeah, watch this, watch this. The joy of the Lord can come

faster than the number one thing on your list, your desire list.

So but crazy because the the number one thing on your desire

list, you're hoping it brings you joy.

I just told you joy can come faster than the number one thing

on your desire list. What the number one thing on

your desired list you probably think is going to somehow bring

you a level of peace. But This is why he says I'm

going to give you the peace that transcends all understanding,

right? You can't, you can't, you can't

level my peace. My peace comes when you when you

logically should not have it and we don't realize that the fruit

of the Spirit. Is is 9 weapons?

You like breaking down PT? That's not today's message, but

His weapons. Because he tells me to delight

in Him. He tells me to seek His ways

first. Because there's something about

when I walk in the image and likeness of Christ that brings

everything but exceeding abundantly.

Above all, I think I can think X or imagine.

So what if I told you the fruit of the Spirit?

Yes, it is for. It is for you.

But it, it, it, it, it moves mountains.

He is perfecting because the wind is about to blow.

He is maturing. He we, we've said things like

perfecting is not talking about perfection.

It is about the perfect one perfecting His bride, restoring

us back to image and likeness. We read this this morning,

Genesis 27. You can listen to it on your own

time. This, this, this, this.

This week we read the definition of formed because He, he formed

us from the dust, and He breathed his life in US.

He breathed his courage, His joy, his peace in US.

And when we're talking about form, he's not forming it out of

nothing. He actually is molding us out of

every aspect of our life. Watch this.

I told the group this morning, I'm gonna tell you again,

there's not one season in your life that God has meant to go to

waste. God uses all the ingredients of

your life. So while you're trying to forget

something, God is trying to get you the backbone to be able to

put it in the form of a testimony so it can help

somebody else one day. But you got to go through the

process. You got to go through the

forming. You got to go.

You got to, I said it this morning, what is it Good is it

if you put all the ingredients for a cake in a bowl and don't

mix it, what good is it? If you mix it and you don't put

it in the pan, What good is you put it in the pan and the raw

ingredients is mixed. And if you look into smelling

good, you know, you taste the cake batter.

And what good is it just sitting there in the cake pan And you

don't put it in the oven? What, What good is it if you put

it in the oven and don't take it out the oven?

What good is it if you take it out the oven but you don't slice

it up? And what good is it if you slice

it up but don't serve it? And what good is it if you serve

something to somebody and they cannot regurgitate back to you

how good it is? Anybody in hospitality loves the

part when you serve it. And the people, are you looking

at their faces? And if they don't say nothing

you like, well, is it good, right?

You, you, you, you went. Through that entire process to

come out on the other end with a testimony.

And this morning we went through, oh, write this down

real quick. When complaining begins,

contending stops. I got to get that to you.

When complaining contends, I mean can.

When complaining begins, contending stops.

OK, the whole wind part is more of a prophetic word and

God-given us his why the season we've been walking through.

Now we're about to get into some perfecting when complaining

begins. I'll back it up a little bit.

In Genesis, we're talking about farming.

You're also talking about perfecting God is he's the

Potter and we're the what clay. And that's why he uses these

analogies. This is perfecting.

We looked at Jesus last week and how I showed us when he was born

and then it went to when he was 13 when he was seen in the in

the temple. And it goes from 13 to 30.

And we're like, what happened in between?

Why we don't have a record of all that.

Well, he was being perfected. So when he showed up, he was

efficient. When he showed up, he was

efficient. When he showed up, he was

obedient with ease. When he showed up, he was able

to be two people what he was created to be two people.

When he showed up, his hearing was sharp because he spent those

years being perfected. When complaining begins,

contending stops. I really don't see Jesus

complaining, but one time and you could you could point it

out, you go look for it, find some faults in Jesus.

That's fair is when he was in the garden and then he repented.

He said God. Really, you going to abandon me?

But nevertheless, you see how quick he, he, he, he, he on the

mission, some of y'all. God, really, for months.

For real? OK, well, if you ain't going to

do nothing about it, I'm going to do something about it.

Well, if I can't hear you, I'm going to go ask somebody for

wisdom who can't hear you. When complaining begins,

contending stops. I've talked about that a little

bit this morning. Be good.

I elaborated a little bit. Go for it.

And then I said, say my name, say my name, say my name.

And then Grace immediately finished the song for me.

And many people would think, since we're talking about Jesus,

you think I'm coming to tell you today that he is telling you no

matter what you go through, keep His name in your mouth.

True. But that's not what I'm here to

tell you today. I'm here to talk about, I was

here to talk about Jacob this morning and I was here to talk

about Jacob this morning, how he engaged in a wrestle and that

wrestle that he engaged in, if we just follow his life, he

comes to a place in his life where this Angel comes and he's

in a he's in a wrestling match. But don't forget the words that

have been spoken over Jacob and his bloodline and you think that

your wrestle is all about. You and your.

Desires not knowing that your wrestle is about past

generations and future generations.

So the reason you say no to some stuff, it ain't about you.

It's about a word that God gave your Mama.

How many people know some of the wrestling you going through is

because a word the devil heard that was given to your great

grandmama, your man. I, I got beef because of what

God told my grandma a long time ago.

Some of the beef you got, you are guilty by association

because of your last name. You got the beef you got.

You because of some you know how you play for certain teams if

you become a Boston Celtic or if you become a a Raider, if you

become just because you could be a rookie on that team and you

about to get all the boos that came from the legacy of the

team. But I'm like, bro, I'm a rookie.

I'm I'm still 18. I'm on the I'm not.

I just checked in the game for the first time and then can

y'all cheer for me just because I made it?

But you booing me because I'm a Celtic here.

Here's what the word says. Jesus said they're going to hate

on you. They're going to persecute you

because they persecuted me. Somebody say guilty by

association and what you don't realize, if you're guilty by

association with Jesus, you guilty by association for being

a Richmond. That's why you got to be careful

who you marry. You're not just signing up for

yo you. You think it's about you and

your little cutie QQQ right? No, no, no, no, the the the you

about to get you about to get you about you about to take some

blows for the last name you taken the same thing as kids you

born into families that you didn't ask to be in.

If you sitting with your parents, don't don't even.

Look at them right now. You didn't ask to be in that

family, but guess what, you you, you was born into to to to to

hero and E JS family and you just had to take whatever EJ was

tripping on. You just had to take it.

Whatever EJ wasn't healed from, you had to take it.

Whatever your Mama didn't deal with, you had to take it.

And what we don't understand is that this perfecting is because

God is invested in the word he gave.

Abraham. This isn't this is a

generational thing that started thousands of years ago.

This ain't about your little wed.

This ain't about your little car.

This ain't about your little house.

This ain't about your little money.

This ain't got nothing to do with you.

This is about God's word. So whatever yes you say are you

is your yes contending is yo no contending or yo no is just what

your daddy said no to who in the bloodline going to fight for

once instead of laying down and bending over and giving it up to

the enemy and he takes another generation.

And that's why I'm determined that whatever Richmond is born

after us, it's going to be some battles for show because they

are Richmond. They about to walk into this

blessing right, So a few of y'all should have took that for

your own bloodline. I'm confessing over.

I'm prophesying to the wind, right Mount Malachi, where my

grandkids is what they they not going to step into.

They going to be born into some rights.

They're going to be born into some Kingdom stuff.

They're going to be born into some financial stuff.

They're going to be born into some free from cancer stuff.

They're going to be born into some.

Stuff. Ain't going to be no more first

generation wealthy, first generation past first generation

married one time. No, no, you going to be second

generation married, never divorced.

Third generation married, never divorced.

Right. Second generation good daddy.

Second generation good Mama. Second generation Good Wife,

second generation good husband, right?

We got to get past the first generation of your bloodline.

Been existing for how long? Why you the first?

So if you found yourself in your life where you have become the

first, you also must be the last.

You can't just be the one the first to do this, but not the

last one. To do or not to do that?

That's why he said he say he is committed to finish it till

Jesus returns. So there's a work within you

that continues after you. This work does not end till

Jesus returns. So this is about what are you

accumulating and what are you handing off?

You know some people can hoard lies.

Yeah, you can hoard things, right?

Hoard, hoard, hoard. You heard.

Hoard. You can hoard lies and pass them

on generation to generation. Hoard.

So just go ahead. Jacob wrestled.

Somebody say Jacob wrestled and he wrestled until that Angel.

He said he didn't let go until he blessed them.

He did not let go until he blessed them.

No, I can't let go until I'm in the promised Land.

I'm not letting go at Manna. This ain't it.

Like you think we going to get in this Maybe we let me tell you

something. The only deep breath or exhale I

will take when we move next door is because because the, the,

the, the, the that building process is done.

But I'm not going to exhale like we've this is it.

No, the vision that God has given us and put in our belly.

This can't contain it. Even if we purchase the land,

it's not the vision. The vision is very specific, but

this is the path and we have to be found faithful over where we

are. Let me make this clear.

This facility houses the vision. So the vision overall to love

all nations equip the church mobilize the equip serve all

right, we are equipping church it we can equip at Starbucks it

don't it don't matter where we are.

We can equip on Zoom like so I want to make it clear before

anybody misconstrued what I'm saying well.

What we giving them Remnant? Money for if this ain't it,

because this is it for the vision, like anywhere can house

the vision that the vision to make disciples is bigger than

the where we make disciples, right?

The work never stops and it never has for love quest.

OK, Even when they lock the doors, it ain't never stopped.

And then the brother limping and you like God, why you didn't

take my limp from me if I got so much victory Because it's your

testimony. I may come out limping, but I'm

going to come out lush. Come on, write that down.

I may come out limping, but I'm going to come out lush I may

come out limping, but I'm going to come out lush.

It'll pop up there in a second I may come out limping, but I'm

going to come out lush. OK, how did I get?

How did I? How did I?

I think I there it is. Rebound.

There we go, watch this. Somebody say perfecting.

Now when we're thinking of perfecting, we are thinking of

molding, we're thinking of purging.

We're thinking of seasons and times where God will pull put us

through. Now get out of here.

We're thinking you are exempt from going through wilderness.

Jesus did it. Children of Israel did it.

Holy Spirit LED Jesus into the wilderness, right?

He was to be proven you, you, you can't even sell fruit out

the market before it's inspected.

You can't even put a car on the road before it's dummy tested.

I'm going to say it again. You can't put a car on the road

until it's dummy tested. I've had a few dummy tests

before in my life. Look at your neighbors.

Say, say, I'm not going to be dumb no more I'm.

Not going to be dumb no more. That's how somebody got laughed

at. Like, yeah, right.

Watch this a part of perfecting it looks like sifting.

Some somebody say sifting. You guys have such sweet voices

sifting. Sifting.

Simon, Simon Peter, listen, I'll be Hey, Seon is in room for me

in the production because I could, I could, you know,

whoever you need me to play, I can, right.

Satan has asked excessively what does excessively mean over and

over. And oh, this is the part that

that's kind of scary. Like he really trying to get at

you. And if he hasn't yet, that's the

grace of God. That's why we got to stay with

him, because because the enemy is after us.

Satan has asked excessively that all of you be given up to him.

Watch this out of the power and keeping of God, that he might

sift all of you like. So I need to know what sifting

is. I need to know what sifting like

grain is to understand what he's saying.

But first, out of the power and keeping with God, I need to tell

you, stop helping him get you out of the keeping of God.

Just 'cause you saved don't mean you always in the keeping.

The blood saved you for eternal life.

But when you are not obedient, when you delay obedience, when

you choose to do stuff in your own understanding, what does he

say? Lean.

Not on your own. Understanding, right?

Because your own understanding leaves you to keeping you.

And when you keeping you, he ain't keeping you.

And out of the power. This is how I read this and this

is how I see it. And this is how you should hear

this, that His power is already set to work for His word.

His power is not set to work for your desires.

That's why he says you seek me or you delight in me because

that's where my power works. So you got to go through me to

get to you. Watch it.

Here's the word If you look for you without me, you're never

going to find you. But if you're really looking for

you, find me. And you find you right where I

am. He's saying the route to live a

life of lavishness and lush and power is you got to go.

Through him, no one gets to the Father except through him.

You can't get to the Father without the Father.

You can't get the Father's stuff without the Father's presence.

So this is the enemy's top priority out of the power and

keeping of God. He wants you to keep yourself

and he wants you to depend on other people to keep you, right.

He wants he wants your job to keep you.

That's what the devil wants. He wants your job.

He wants you to think that your life going to be better off in

somebody else's arms. And on somebody else's chest and

in somebody else's corporation. And if the government does this,

and then if the government does that, life will be better.

No, it won't. The government is government and

the Kingdom is Kingdom. And watch this.

Satan has asked excessively that all of you be given.

Who is all of you? That's all us, all us out of the

power and keeping of God. Let me help you.

This platform does not keep me from being sifted.

Sometimes I'm getting sifted while I'm on the platform.

If you know, you know out of the power and keeping of God that he

might sift you, right? So here's why I read this as

well. He can't sift me or be effective

in the sifting if I'm in the keeping.

But I also need the power of God working in my life.

But the power of God is not effective in my life when I am

not rooted in Him. Watch this.

You're not rooted in Him if you're not obedient to Him, and

if the only thing you are obedient to is when it pertains

to your call. And not the day-to-day pruning

of becoming like him. Oh, I'll go, Lord, if you give

me an assignment to be on a platform, Give me a mic, Lord,

I'll do it. Give me a job, Lord.

I'll go into the industry and be a light unto men.

Well, why you just wouldn't? Why you wouldn't just cool in

his arms? It's always send me a goal.

But when you say go, it's not wherever.

You want me? It's go to where I have an idea

my talents can thrive. All right, All right.

Amen. Watch this, sifty.

In ancient times, separating wheat from chafe involved a

violent process of pounding, tossing, and shaking the grain

in a large sieve phrase in a metaphor for a severe trial or

challenge designed to break a person down, expose their

weaknesses, and potentially lead to their spiritual ruin or

failure. The sifting is a powerful

destructive force that aims to crush, tear apart, and scatter a

person's faith. The devil seeks to discover that

the individual is merely chafe, weak and pure and without

genuine faith, and to cause them to fall away or become

apostates. So watch this The Bible warns us

of people in the last days like never before, falling away from

the faith. That is the point of sifting in

the last days. God's going to say, hey Satan,

you've been asking for a while. I'm about to blow this wind have

Adam. I know the ones that's going to

stay in my keeping. I know the ones that when

pressure comes up on them that they're watch this the four

different types of ground. That's what he's tell the

Kingdom is. It's the people who who who was

excited for a while, they're rooted for a while and sometime

a while is five years. But when the enemy comes to.

Sift. You, he pressures you.

You then watch this. The depth of your roots were not

exposed until the enemy was released to try you.

It's some of y'all in here. You swear you rooted, you think

you all for Jesus. Yeah, but when the Lord says

have Adam, that's going to be the day that your root system is

really going to be exposed. But it's not like God is not

giving you the opportunity. A lot of the while while the

enemy when By the time the enemy has been given permission to

sift, the Lord has already sent shepherds to weed.

OK and you don't want that accountability?

You think Bo hating on you? No God has sent someone to

really weed through this stuff. I will always send to John the

Baptist. He will always send an Elijah.

He will always send a man and but that's the problem going so

long without prophets and apostles in the land, you don't

even know what they are. You're like who?

These people just don't come up on the scene.

I ain't never been pastored like this.

I want my small group, I want youth group, I want young adult

group. I want marriage ministry, I want

singles, I want the events, I want the programs.

That's. Church, ain't it?

Ain't that church? We go to camps.

That's church, huh? Yeah.

That's why the church is lukewarm.

So in the last days, the last shall be first.

The first gifts to establish the church is going to be last.

And they're going to rise up. And it's on you to see and take

heed. You can go, oh, that's a false

prophet. And oh, who we think he.

And you can get caught up in all of that.

But when the wind blow, when you sitting there looking like

tumbleweeds going through the desert, you can never look at

God and say, but God, why you didn't warn me he going he you

hit that YouTube page up. Watch this here we go.

We'll end up Matthew 14 and those who ate were about 5000

men, not including women and children.

It's it's, it's over 10,000 people that have to be fed.

Then he directed the disciples to get into the boat.

He does. He directed the disciples to

what Right. This is that the season where

the Lord is saying you get in like we just came smooth off a

miracle. Now let's see where your faith

is. We just came through.

You'd have seen the miracle. Look watch this.

You didn't need me to feed over 10,000.

All I did was pray over it. I lifted it up to the Father.

So I just displayed when something is put in your hands.

So this next test you going to be looking for me.

It it's not it's not God. He's, he's trying to raise them

up, not in a sense of he's trying to raise them to live

without him, but he is trying to raise them to live without the

Rabbi Jesus, the man who needed God, who needed baptizing, who

needed to be filled with the Holy Ghost.

And you see it with Moses. He's sitting there crying and

then father says, hey, stop whining.

Lift your rod out. And guess what?

Moses was asked to go last. The people went across first.

When it was time to go to the Promised land, the leaders went

across first. You see it with God himself.

It was the season he was in front of them and it was the

season he repositioned them. But he's trying to get you like

Shadrach, Meshach and Bendigo. Even if he don't come in this

thing, I'm good. He directed the disciples to get

into the boat and go before him. Watch this go before him, go

before him, go before him to the other side while he sent away

the crowds. One day we going to get into

what real maturity looks like right?

This there's some stuff that I that, that, that I choose to do

that God's end, but God didn't decide to do it.

Have you ever seen a kid take their parents to the sandbox and

you see the parent like where are you going?

Right? We forget we're sons and

daughters. All you say you're not servants,

you're not slaves, you're friends and sometimes with you.

Here's the scary part for some of y'all, but this is where

perfecting is needed, is that when you really walk with God,

it does not. I got to have Malachi come up

because I was going to hold your hand.

But I don't want come here, Malachi.

Real quick, real quick, real quick, real quick.

No, no, no, no. Come here, babe.

I knew you was going to do that. Well, you're a bride, right?

Just it's going to be real quick, right?

Walking, walking with the Lord does not just stay behind me,

does not look like this. Sometimes walking with the Lord

looks like this. Sometimes it looks like this.

Where are we going? I'm with you.

OK, see, that's the part some of y'all not ready for.

Thank you. That's that.

Some of y'all not ready for that?

You're not ready for Jesus to say to you what we doing?

What you mean what we doing? Jesus, I thought you run

everything. No, no, wait a minute.

My spirit's in you. My word's in you, My words

abiding in you. I'm abiding in you.

You're abiding in me. What are we doing?

I didn't get a word from the Lord to do the basketball stuff.

Why do I need a word for that? I'm his son.

He's called me to make. Disciples and win the loss.

How many times he needs to say do that?

He's giving me talents. He's giving me gifts.

He say use them. I'm with you.

That's what the Bible says. I'm with you.

Always, but we think that. The relationship with God is

always just like, come on, but no, Father, come here, sit down

with me, crisscross applesauce. And then we learned a couple

weeks ago or a week ago, man, when we going to get past the

milk, when we going to get past crisscross applesauce?

When are you going to actually walk in my image And like this?

That's what the garden. Was.

I said I'm the I'm the God of the heavens.

You now you're going to mirror me as it is.

It ain't that how Jesus taught us how to pray?

So you down there have dominion over the bop, bop, bop, bop,

bop. When we fail, we lost image and

likeness. We lost dominion.

So watch this. He says he went, He says they

went before him to the other side while he sent away the

crowd. He sent away the crowd.

He sent away the crowds, and after he had dismissed the

multitudes, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.

When it was evening, he was still there alone.

Where was Jesus? He was up in the hills by

himself. He just finished being a part of

God's miracle work and power. The brother's tired.

He's getting to himself to get refueled.

He sends his disciples across and he didn't say we're sending

you across. He said I'm sending you to the

other side. Come on, I'm sending you to the

other side one more time. I'm sending you to the other

side. And so I like it here.

I'm starting to learn Jesus nature.

Like when Jesus waiting, it's kind of like Lazarus.

I think I get that picture. Oh, he wait until it stank

right? I'm thinking about 3 days in the

Gray. He wait until y'all like then he

pop out like birthday cake woman with this your blood blind

Bartimaeus. He's not he's that he's not

moved by our emotions. He's not in a rush for you

right? Anytime you in a rush, he's not

involved. Whenever you feel your spirit

rushing, he's not there. He's not that's not him.

Watch this. He's.

Still there alone. Here it is.

But the boat was by this time out on the sea.

Somebody say out on the sea many furlongs, and a furlong is 1/8

of a mile distant from the land. Watch this.

Beaten and tossed by the waves. These are important details.

Why? Because the Bible put them in

there. Beaten and tossed by the waves.

For the wind was against them. Say the wind there, there's the

wind, there's the wind. There's the wind, it's blowing

and you didn't know, and because you're not rooted, it's working

against you. Because you double minded, it's

working against you. Or like Jacob, it's resisting

because it's proving you. The wind don't just come to

bring fruit. We're not just talking about

that. There's a wind coming to prove

you and This is why he said This is why I'm understanding.

He's saying over this next little while, don't be hasty.

Be still. Be like rest.

It's OK. And a lot of times when God says

rest, he is telling you to rest in the place he told you to

rest. So if he told me to rest, I need

to go back and look at what, what posture was I in in 2023

when we got that word? And I look at some, some folk

from that word to now anxious spirit trying to get this and

trying to get that versus allowing the allowing yourself

to get the roots so deep, right. If a oak tree needs that kind of

time, What what do you think when God is saying rest, wait,

chill out. No, no, no, don't add, don't

add, don't know. Right there, right, right there,

right. I know it's mundane, but right

there, right there is where I need you to be.

And then the wind is going to blow and prove you.

And once you've been proven, guess what time it is?

It's multiplication time. We're trying to help somebody

right now. We don't just litty daddy along

and lotty daddy and just add. And this is my desires are

leading me over here. I want this.

I think I'm ready for this. I'm I want this and I'm I'm

ready and and. Now question, can you point to

the proving moment being over? Because I'm pretty sure these

disciples didn't forget this moment, That's why it's written

there. Can you identify where a wind

came and you have been proven and you have passed that

inspection and, and, and sometimes the proving is not

from what you added to your life.

So you know, I, I got this new thing over here in my life and

that has now brought me a certain level of responsibility,

stress and pressure in my life. No, no, that is a self ordained,

self-inflicted test you put yourself through.

I'm talking about you are still, I'm talking about your life

starting to seem stale. You've been doing the same thing

over and over and over and over and over.

And while I'm waiting, all these songs we sing wait on the Lord,

he will renew. We get real big and we get real

dramatic and we get real dynamic, but then our faith

ain't as dynamic. We go in we.

Anybody don't know when you see somebody doing this that mean we

going, we going to repeat that part, we going, we going, we

going to stay right there. You get what I'm saying?

We do it, we pray, we show up on Saturday, we do all these

things. But when the wind blows, that's

the. Part.

About the proving season is that there's the Darnell's that get

separated in our lives and the truth is exposed for the wind

was against them and in the 4th watch between 3:00 and 6:00 of

the night, Jesus came to them walking on the sea.

This this this is this real dark time of the night.

Somebody say dog Jesus came to them walking on the sea and when

the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified and

said it is a ghost and they screamed out with fright.

But instantly he spoke to them saying take courage I am Period.

Stop being afraid, because I am. Peter responded.

Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water I

like. This because we don't talk to

God. Some of us, we don't talk to God

like this. We say if it's you, come in the

boat. It's you, come bless me.

Watch this. Now it may seem to me, this is

say my imagination, my imagination.

It may seem when I read this, I see something, something here.

It says they saw him, but they thought it was a ghost.

They couldn't quite make out. Is that Jesus?

So to me, beating waves in the sea could pose a challenge to

see clear. Anybody been some storm riders

out here been out on the sea at night time.

It like just looking at the sea from from the bridge look look

dark right And the destination was across.

It's not like they parked somewhere to go fishing.

They were going across waves, beaten.

Isn't that what we just read? OK, that's a detail that's

important. So when they say they saw, just

because you say you saw something or because you heard

something, don't mean you saw or heard.

Clear. Talk to me, somebody.

And you get a lot of people these days.

I heard the Lord. OK and are you clear?

I saw a vision and was it clear? So as I'm reading I'm

understanding the conditions around it made it hard for them

to see clear hence why is that? Is that a ghost?

Let alone how he walking on the water?

Command me to come to you on the water.

That's a crazy statement. Command me to anybody in here,

command me to to get out my boat Safety, right?

Safety. If that's you, I am willing to

look so foolish. If that's you, I am willing to

take the biggest risk of my life if that's you.

This is equivalent to the woman with the issue of blood.

I don't care if they stone me. I want to get to you, Jesus.

If it is you command me to come right.

You know when you throw your, your little double fleece down

and you, you throw your spiritual blanket out and, and,

and you, you challenge God. If that's you do this.

But how many of you just said, if that's you, draw me close to

you? Because I understand if I step

out of this boat, that better be you, he said.

Well, he said command me to come to you on the water.

He said come now. Now here it is.

I don't know about you, but when Jesus be answering that quick if

that's you want me to come and then he sent the word on Sunday

and how many people left? He answered your prayer, but

then you needed him to reconfirm it.

He said come so Peter, watch this.

So Peter, you see how Peter got out the boat and walked on the

What did Peter do? And he what come on, he got out

the boat and what he one more time he got out the boat and

what he he's like if walking on what if doing the impossible is

the route to seeing you right says if doing the impossible is

the route to clarity. Some of you don't want to say no

for clarity. You're saying, let me just try.

No, I cannot sit in my limitations.

I must do the impossible, not the practical.

Oh, this don't make sense why I can't do that or why I shouldn't

do that? No.

What about the impossible? What about what ain't popular?

What about when you got the folks in your boat?

That's like, girl, dude, you could, you could do it if you

want. But I don't think that's really

Jesus telling you to do that. Jesus would never tell you to

get off the boat. Why wouldn't he?

Jesus would never tell you to don't do that.

Why wouldn't? He.

You see how much stuff we put on God and then how much stuff we'd

be like? That ain't possibly him.

Look at this car God got for me. Look at, oh, God paid my rent.

No, you got paid or you borrowed some money, right?

Yeah, but that was God. OK, but why ain't that God

that's telling you to do other stuff?

Ain't it crazy? We got selective hearing.

All right, all right, all right. And he he came towards he he

what he what? So this means he progressed.

He didn't just step out the water and just one day we're

going, I'm going to have a little remote and I'm going to

step out and I could do stuff like that and the stage going to

drop, just this spot going to drop.

Then I'm going to come back out like Chris Brown.

Yeah. Watch this.

He walked on water and he came towards.

So it means he took steps on water.

He took steps. Count.

That's what I mean. Count the baby steps, count the

steps because he was sinking. Jesus didn't give up on me like

the like the two. Steps.

I think Jesus like OK boy. Image and likeness right?

I'm walking I took them two steps because for two steps I

was reflecting your image. He says perceived watch this but

somebody say but but when he perceived and felt perceived

watched it perceived it looked perceived is not 2020 perceived

is not 2020. A lot of times your perception,

it's based on the context that you look through.

It's based on how you've postured yourself.

It's based on the voices that you've allowed to get rooted in

your head. Your perception is based on how

you see the person, the thing. Have you ever heard of depth

perception? Right.

You got bad depth perception. Like you probably shouldn't be

driving unless like in a huge parking lot with, with nothing

in it. OK, your perception and he felt

This is why he tells you to renew this inner man.

That's where perception comes from.

And he felt the strong wind. When this wind blow, there's

going to be some people who perception has not been rooted

and they going to feel a strong wind.

He was frightened and as he began to sink, he cried out.

Watch this, watch this. What you He did not say Jesus

name. His request was Jesus to call

him. Send me, I go.

Whatever you have me to do, it was not about knowing Jesus.

It's much. I'm talking about this moment

right here when he started sinking is when he started

crying out. Yes, he steps out the boat, and

I've said it before, He steps out the boat to go towards

Jesus, and by his faith he encounters Jesus in a way that

the people in the boat did not. But watch.

It as he began to sink and I'm here to stop and tell you guys

today. Don't wait till you start

sinking. To cry out like you don't want

the Lord save me, but there's. No relationship in the realm of

obedience. Instantly Jesus reached out,

caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith,

meaning short bursts of faith. No doubt some of you have faith,

but is it strong faith, right. Bible gives measures of faith.

Is it little faith? Why did you doubt?

And when they got into the boat, the wind, when they got into the

boat, the wind ceased just. Like Jacob's.

Wrestling match had to end, the wind blowing has to end.

When they got into the boat, the wind ceased and those in the

boat knelt and worshipped him, saying truly you are the Son of

God. And when they had crossed over

to the other side, like he said, they went ashore.

And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around

you get the drift, and begged him to let them merely touch the

fringe of his garment. And as many touched him, they

were perfectly restored. Who?

Is in your boat. Watch this that God is calling

you from a monks so that when y'all get back in the boat they

worship him. It goes back to your yeses and

noes is not about your desires. There's people in your boat.

The same people you getting wisdom from have been placed in

your boat for you to be this, for your faith to be put on

display. And you don't realize that age

is not the determining factor, but you have been put in their

boat because they need wisdom from you.

Guess where they going to get wisdom from?

Your display of faith. There are people in your boat

right now that God has strategically put you in their

lives while He is asking you to come out the boat.

Because they are where they are in their life and you are an

answering discipline. You are an answer to their

lives. They don't know it, but you got

to be revealed. Watch this.

They did not know. Peter was about to lead them to

a deeper revelation of Jesus. It just took one person.

Peter wanted his name called but he failed to keep calling the

name above all names. Jesus voice isn't confirmed or

identified in the mountaintop experiences.

Often times his voice is clarified in the messiness and

interruptions of life. We have often just we loud on

that. He confirmed this.

This blessing came. That was Jesus this blessing

came that was the this blessing came.

Now, man, if you really want to get clear on who Jesus is,

you're going to have to be willing to be separated.

You're going to have to be willing to be perfected.

You're going to have to be willing to say no where no is

not popular. You're going to have to be

willing to say yes where, where yes is unpopular.

Watch this. The same voice that got you out

the boat is the same hand that will keep you from drowning.

Voice in hand. Told you.

I had a couple people support this church won't say their

name. They, they can't see that well.

They, they can't see that well without their glasses.

So when I roll up on them, sometime without their glasses

on, sometime if we even rehearse or something, they like, man, I

don't know why I can't hear you when I don't have my glasses on.

The same voice that got you, like I kind of got this little

picture. I could play with my imagination

a bit that that if, if, if, if, if Peter would have been willing

to play a little Marco Polo with Jesus.

He might have took a few more steps, but he only demanded

Jesus to call him once. Anybody ever play Marco Polo,

right? Marco, Marco, Marco, Marco.

And normally you do not stop back and forth until you make

contact. And the length of our process

sometime gets us silent, and we no longer demand his voice in

our lives, but the same voice. That got you out of the boat is

the same hand that will keep you from drowned life and death is

in the power of the tongue. Voice and hand goes hand in

hand. So if he called you, he will

keep you, leave you with this, We're being perfected.

Yes, you cannot be polished. Watch it until you are pruned,

pierced, and proven. All right.

We're going to have Malachi's announcement thing tonight, what

college we've committed to. And part of the biggest decision

making this decision was what's the next best step, not the next

big school. And the next best step is based

on where. We as parents see his

development is today. Where we projected to be a year

from now based on the trajectory and and how he's grown year

after year and we've marked those and then the school he

will go to is going to be able to continue where we believe or

project his maturity or lack thereof will be.

This time next year. Right.

Put the, put the, put the, the, the last slide back up.

We understand what God's promise the end result's going to be.

We've gotten a prophetic word over where he's going to end up.

So now you work backwards. And then when you got here, it

is a word from God eliminates the urge to rush.

OK, if God said this is the this is where you going, then I can't

let people who see my ability rush me.

See these coaches only see talent and ability.

They don't see my son. So it is my job to help guard

and prune and purge and Pierce and Polish the gift.

And what we're finding out is when we can communicate our

vision to these schools is they're like, this is

refreshing. Had one college say, hey, these

players were recruiting. I'm going to tell them to come

talk to you to be their agent because it's all about money.

It's not about developing the the the the human.

So I'm asking coaches cut questions they never heard.

And one of the biggest ones. How many when we on the phone

with the whole coaching staff, how many of y'all married?

You would ask what that got to do with basketball.

It has something to do with your leadership.

So you've been coaching for 30 years and you come to the end of

your career and you single. It speaks to your priorities and

it speaks to how you lead. What, like, like basketball?

For me, basketball can't be the coach's number one priority.

My son has to be #1 priority, right?

When you're looking for a spouse, God has to be #1 in that

person you thinking about marrying and they got to prove

he first. It can't just be like, I'm

Christian. I serve at my local church now.

OK, cool. Keep serving at your local

church. Let me see how you handle a

storm while I'm not in the boat. Let me sit on the shore of our

relationship before I get in the boat with you.

Let me see how you handle the winds and the waves before I put

my life at risk. And So what I understand is

that, man, we have this responsibility.

It's like, no, my son used to be meant it was hard.

He could be gone right now. Like right now he could be gone.

But that would be setting him up for it.

Like, no, no, no, no. You want him to skip over?

Prune. You want him to skip over

Pierce. You want him to skip the stuff

that you going to develop him in Is not the stuff he has trouble

developing. The stuff he needs developing in

is only what his disciple can do.

So we still need to be challenged, we still need to be

developed in his skill, he said. It don't matter what school he's

going to go to, the next level is going to develop in period.

But it's our job. To watch the fruit so the fruit

can remain. Right.

So you got to go. What's the next?

What's the next? No, I need to make or say that's

going to send me into to this, to this pruning and piercing so

I can be polished. Have you ever heard a speaker

that's polished? You ever heard a artist that's

polished? You ever see a dancer that's

polished? You ever seen a mechanic that's

polished, right? How did they get there?

You know how many cars a mechanic messed up and you just

praise God it wasn't your car, but you got a polished mechanic,

but somebody had to pay. And this is what God is saying

man. Chill on inviting people into

your space. It polished so everyone that

comes in your life end up shining, finish the course.

It's perfecting season and if you want to be polished, pruned,

pierced and proven, it's got to hurt.

You got to make some decisions, right?

It hurt Malli, it hurt us. We had a school we really wanted

to go to. We thought that was the one, but

it hurt to say no. But when we say yes to this, the

piece that comes with the yes, you didn't think you was going

to make that, that every yes requires you to say a no.

Don't just want to say yes man, Be master the no Father, thank

you. Thank you Jesus for saying no to

that cup and saying yes to the cross.

We bless your name Jesus name, Amen.

Just give God a hand. We need the fear of the Lord.

Thank you so much for tuning into this week's sermon.

We pray you were challenged, equipped and encouraged.

Make sure to follow us on all platforms.

That's love quest Intl church. We out here for real.

We're really doing it. That's Facebook, Instagram,

YouTube and TikTok. You can find us anywhere you

need to find us. But until next time, you know

the drill. You know the motto, get your

love fixed man and we'll see y'all real soon.