Judah Shall Go Up

I'm going to invite you, if you can, God's directed

me to read out of the book of Judges. Go with

me right now, please, to the book of Judges,

Judges 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1 and verse 1. Amen. Amen. And we're

going to, we're just going to read a couple of

verses there. That's it. Amen. Book of Judges,

Judges 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1 and verse 1. Hallelujah, Jesus. Hallelujah,

Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. I love when God just

messes up with the program, you know, and just

does something different. Makes me a little nervous

sometimes, but that's where I need to be, you

know. I just can never depend on ourselves, our

gifts, our talents, our abilities. We've got

to be sensitive to what God is doing. So I'm

going to say amen. The word of the Lord says,

After the death of Joshua, if you don't know

who Joshua is, Joshua was a conqueror. He was

a conqueror. He was a warrior. Amen. After Moses

came Joshua, he was a possessor of things. The

people of Israel inquired of the Lord, who shall

go up first for us against the Canaanites to

fight against them? The Lord said, Judah. Everyone

say Judah. Judah shall go up. Behold, I have

given the land into his hand. Whose hand? Judah's

hand. With God's help today, I'm just going to

preach for a few moments because whatever happens

next, it's just, it's up to the Lord. It's up

to God what he wants to do. But I'm just going

to preach for the sake of a title. We're just

going to call this message, Judah Shall Go Up.

Let's pray. Father, we love you today. We thank

you for what you are doing in our place, in this

place today. This is your house, God. And we

approach these things reverently. We approach

them, God, with humility, with honor, with respect,

God. Become prepared, Lord. with worship, with

praise, with intention, with purpose, with a

plan, with an agenda, but we recognize, God,

that we're on your time and that there are moments,

instances, God, where you will simply interrupt

in order to speak to us in a prophetic manner.

So I pray, God, that you would give us all prophetic

hearing today. to hear what your spirit is saying

to the church, and that you would prepare us

all. Anoint my lips of clay, God. Inspire me,

God, to preach your holy word in the name of

Jesus. Everyone say amen. And if you're going

to back me up and preach today, say amen. You

can be seated in God's house. I feel something

so profound in my spirit today because... I believe

that there are just moments in time, church,

where God must interrupt us and must deal with

us, remind us of some core things that are fundamental

about who we are as his people. We must understand

that we are God's people. Somebody say amen.

I say we are the people of God. And we belong

to him. And we were created for a very express

purpose. To give him glory. Everything about

our lives. I need you to understand today. Everything

about our lives. Everything about the way God

formed us. The way he made us. Down to the hands

that we have. And the feet that we walk on. And

the eyes that we see with. And everything about

us was made to give him glory. Everything about

us. This was God's express purpose. This was

his design. This is how he made us. He gave us

hands, not simply to do work, but he gave us

hands so that we might clap unto the Lord. How

many of you know these are instruments? Why don't

we all use this instrument right now and just

give God a hand of praise? Everything about our

lives is meant to give God glory. God gave us

a mouth, not simply that we can communicate with

one another in this life, but not just a mouth

to speak words and to communicate, but above

all things, he gave us a mouth that we might

worship him. Amen. He gave us a tongue that we

might offer him unceasing praise and unceasing

glory and unceasing worship. Our mouths were

not made simply to tell our loved ones that we

love them and it's nice to hear those things.

Our mouths were not made simply to echo and reverberate

things that are going on around us to report

the news of the day and to talk about how things

are going. Our mouths are not simply to converse

over small matters and over little things. And

all the things that our mouth can be used. But

the Bible says that in our mouth. Hallelujah.

In these vocal cords that God has given us. That

everything the Bible says that has breath. Praise

ye the Lord. So our mouths were made to give

God praise and glory. So I wonder for the next

30 seconds. If there's a group of people in this

house today. That can open up. I know we've been

singing all service. I know some of you have

been shouting already. Some of you have been

singing already, but I wonder for just another

moment, another 30 seconds, if we could just

open up this mouth that God has given us and

render unto the Lord a praise that is due his

name. Somebody lift up your voice and just say

hallelujah. Somebody lift up your voice and say

praise the Lord. Lord, I love you. I exalt you.

I magnify you. I glorify you. I've got to praise

him. I've got to open my mouth. of the sun to

the going down of the same. I will praise his

holy name today. Oh, somebody shout hallelujah.

This mouth was made to praise God. we have on

us are not simply meant to walk around this life.

These feet are not simply meant to adorn your

favorite shoes and to walk around and to get

from point A to point B. Obviously, they serve

a purpose functionally. We need our feet, and

we thank God if you have capacity in your legs,

even if you move a little slower, but if you

can still move your legs to some degree and have

mobility, you are blessed today because you have

your legs and your feet. Praise God. But I want

to remind you today that your feet were not simply

made to get from point A to point B because in

the very beginning where God created, I kind

of preach like I feel in the Holy Ghost. In the

very beginning where God created Adam and he

placed him in the garden. Can I remind you that

Adam had nowhere to go? Can I remind you that

Adam had no point A to point B? Adam didn't have

to go anywhere. He didn't have a schedule. He

didn't have an agenda. He didn't have a job.

His only purpose for walking, let me tell you,

was to walk with God in the cross. of the day

so even your walking even your legs were made

to worship and that's why you see men of God

like David when the presence of the Lord came

back and the glory of God the ark of the covenant

came back out of the enemy hands back into Jerusalem

the Bible says that he danced before the Lord

with all of his might I've got news for you today

my legs are not simply meant to get to be my

legs are not simply meant to jump up and down

from my favorite ball player and my favorite

team my legs were not meant to jump up and down

every time steph curry hits a three -pointer

my legs were made to give god the glory these

legs were made i wonder if there's somebody right

now that can thank god i can leap for joy i can

dance in my presence Come on, somebody love them

today. Oh, I wonder if you can stomp your feet

right there where you are. Hallelujah. What I

love about the Apostolic Church is that we are

a praising people. We know how to lift our voices

unto God. Our hands were made. For worship. For

clapping. For the lifting of our hands unto the

Lord. Our mouths were made to confess his goodness.

And to declare his praises from one generation

to the next. And our legs were made to walk with.

See everything about us was designed with the

express purpose of giving him glory. And that

is why we are commanded to praise God. Praise

God. today is not a suggestion it is not our

recommendation it is not our word of advice we

I'm talking about you and I today are commanded

to give God the praise that means even if I don't

feel like it and even if I'm not in the mood

to do it even if I had a bad week even if things

aren't going my way I understand that I am obligated

to give God the praise. I've got to give him

praise. And it's important for us today, church,

to see that this is why God created us. This

is why we have what we have. And it now extends

to every part of our life. Every aspect of our

life needs to give glory to God. Everything that

God has given us, he's given us so that it might

give glory to God. And that he might receive

the praise. our bank account, whether it's the

car that we drive or the place of work that we

show up to on Monday morning. Every aspect of

our life ought to be an anthem to God of how

good he has been. Every aspect of our life. My

house is not just where I live. But my house

is the house of the Lord. My room is not just

my room, my kitchen. Every room in your house

you need to fill with praises unto God. Because

the Bible gives us this principle in the Psalms

where it tells us that God inhabits or he is

enthroned in the praises of his people. So praise

is not only what we were designed to do and not

only what we're commanded to do, but it is the

key that attracts the presence of God. God wants

to sit in our life. He wants to, how many of

you want him to dwell in your life? Hallelujah.

If you want God to dwell in your life in a greater

measure, yes, you can read the word and that

will certainly help. Hallelujah. Yes, you can

come to church. that will certainly help yes

you can know the right people and connect to

the right things and those things will certainly

help but if you want more of God's presence in

your life then you've got to have the attitude

of a praiser you've got my lord you've got to

have the attitude of a worshiper because the

more I praise him the more of his presence will

fill up my life the more I acknowledge him the

Bible says, lean not to your own understanding,

but acknowledge him. Make him known and praise

him in all of your ways. And he shall direct

your path. And so if I want more of God, I've

got to become a greater praiser. And praising

God involves all of my... It involves everything,

all my capacities and all my faculties and everything

that I could possibly use as an instrument. And

for those of you who have special gifts and abilities

to praise the Lord, just like we were praying

a few moments ago, you musicians and you praise

singers and even those who help with the audio

because you're also contributing to the sound

that is being broadcast. In this place. Even

the technical things. And the instruments. All

of these things. I've come to tell you. That

that gift that God has given you. That ministry

that God has given you. It is not to make yourself

famous. It is not to. Oh hallelujah. It is not

to simply. Hallelujah. Create some emotional

atmosphere. Your primary objective. If God has

given you a special instrument. Or gift of praise.

Is to use that for the glory. of god and to help

bring in his presence into our midst i believe

how do i feel this in the holy ghost that our

church is stepping into another dimension into

another realm of revival that's been the prayer

that's been that's been the promise that's been

the effort but it's not going to come through

programs necessarily it's not going to come through

methodologies it's not going to simply come through

plans of men but it's going to come by putting

the first things first and in order to have the

kind of revival restoration and taking back what

belongs to us is that we need to restore the

place of praise in our life in our church we

need to put the tribe of Judah at the very front

lines of the battle and say Judah it's now your

turn to blow the trumpet in Zion it's now your

turn to make a joyful noise unto the Lord It's

now your turn to lift up your voices, all ye

lands. It's now your turn to clap your hands,

all ye people. It's the Judah generation. You

Bible students will understand that one of the

things the devil hates most about you is your

praise. Every time you open up your mouth, brother,

you give God the glory and you praise him. Every

time you lift your hands, it just irks the devil.

You know why? Because that's the very thing that

he himself was designed to do. Satan himself

was given all the faculties within his whole

supernatural being to give glory to God as the

choir director and the chief musician of heaven.

That was his job. That was his assignment. But

obviously he fell from where he was because pride

can be the one thing that robs you of what belongs

to God. He thought of himself that he should

be higher than God. Come on. He thought of himself

that he. himself should receive glory instead

of God and it was at that moment that he fell

out of heaven like a lightning bolt down to the

earth and I'm here to tell you that you always

know the spirit of the enemy is at work not when

when ghosts and demons start manifesting not

when witches start showing up and putting blood

on things not when warlocks start casting spells

on you and all that that's not the sign that

the devil is trying to Interrupt your life. The

sign that the devil is working is when pride

starts getting a hold of your heart. And now

you can no longer give God the praise. Now you

can no longer. Oh, hallelujah. Come before his

presence with thanksgiving. Hallelujah. It's

pride. Someone say pride. And just like pride

brought the downfall of. celestial being of worship

in the heavens with God. so too pride is the

thing that gets in the way between us and a more

glorious praise that is due unto the Lord. And

so we've got to make sure that our pride is not

in the way. And when we look at the scripture

today, hallelujah, obviously I'm not going to

dissect this verse by verse, but I want us to

at least see a very important principle that

as the people of God were looking to claim the

land that belongs to them, as they were looking

to continue this reign or this campaign of conquest,

which began with Joshua, they were inquiring

of the Lord. They're saying, Lord, how are we

going to do this, God? How are we going to have...

this revival? How are we going to take what belongs

to us? How are we going to possess the promises

of God? How are we going to fight back these

enemies called the Canaanite? All of these godless

and wicked and perverse and pagan people who

are occupying the place that belongs to us. How

are we going to come against them? Are we going

to do it with bows and spears? Are we going to

do it with tanks and artillery? Are we going

to do it with a nuclear weapon? God, how are

we going to drive out these enemies from the

land? And as they were inquiring of the Lord,

God, what? Because that's what we do sometimes.

We're crying out to God. Lord, show me the way.

Show me, God, what's my next step? What should

I do now? God. give me an answer come on has

anybody ever prayed like that some of you are

praying like that even at this very season in

your life praying God what do I do Lord give

me direction Lord show me the way God help me

through this and they were inquiring of the Lord

saying God and they had all these other ideas

in their mind probably of what they could do

and what they should do but then And the word

of God came to them as they were seeking the

Lord for an answer, for direction, for greater

revival for them and their generations. The Lord

said this to them in verse 2. The Lord said,

Judah. Somebody say Judah. Oh, come on. Somebody

shout Judah. And the Lord said, Judah shall go

up. And that is significant because Judah is

a name that means praise. Praise. It means praise

the Lord. And so God must have mystified them.

God must have baffled their minds. God must have

caused a bit of controversy. When he said if

you're going to take back what belongs to you.

If you're going to possess the promises of greatness

and revival. If you're going to see the land

of milk and honey. Then the thing you've got

to get right in your people. Get right in your

family. tribe of praise on the front lines of

the battle I have come to tell you today that

every spirit oh my god I feel an anointing on

me every spiritual blessing every miracle every

promise every blessing that God wants to do in

your life and in your family every supernatural

divine thing every gift every good thing from

above is going to be accessed primarily through

the tribe of praise If you become a praiser,

there's no depression that can drown you. I wish

I had a witness. If you become a praiser, there's

no sickness that can stop you. If you become

a praiser, there's no devil that can run you

out of your neighborhood. I wish I had a witness.

If you become a praiser, there's no witch, there's

no whore. There's nothing in this world that

can stop you. Why? Because greater is he that

is in me. that is in the world so I lift up my

hands and I lift up my voice come on somebody

give the Lord some praise today somebody open

up your mouth somebody magnify the name of Jesus

in this house today come on hallelujah hallelujah

Come on, let's stay in the spirit for a moment

right now. I feel something about to break loose

in this place today. I feel something about to

stir and break in this place today. There's a

miracle on the other side of your praise. There's

a breakthrough on the other side of your praise.

And so if I were the devil and I wanted to stop

you and block you from your promises, if I wanted

to block this church from the next level of revival,

if I wanted to stop, if I wanted to make sure

that Brother Kong over here is the only baptism

we have all year, if I were the devil and I wanted

to do that, then I would work overtime to silence

the praise and the worship and the anointed praise

in this church. in our lives because the devil

knows that if we ever get a revelation of apostolic

Holy Ghost Pentecostal praise and we start opening

up our mouth and we start doing our dance and

we start running these aisles and we start lifting

our voices, there is nothing he can do to stand

in our way. Come on, hallelujah. Somebody clap

your hands. Come on, somebody clap your hands.

Somebody lift your voice. Somebody magnify him

today. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. There's

a lot of things that I may not get right. There's

a lot of things that... That you and I may not

get right. Even collectively. Put the best and

the brightest together in one room. And put minds

together. And all these things could be good

and wonderful. But let me tell you something.

The victory is in our praise. And the thing that

has established and defined and distinguished

the apostolic church which we are of is how we

praise God. There is something about a service

like we are in today. There is something. It

is not emotionalism. It is not fanaticism. It

is not sensationalism. We're not just trying

to get a reaction out of you. Hear me in the

Holy Ghost. I'm not just trying to tug on your

heart strings. Do you hear what I'm saying today?

I'm not just trying to tug on an emotional and

pull an emotional. string in you I'm not just

trying to get a reaction out of you today there

is something powerful and prophetic church when

we really unlock the praises and we really begin

to step into that dimension oh let me tell you

what begins to happen as you begin to praise

God like the children of Judah the tribe of Judah

they went before the people of Israel and they

began to praise God and you know the thing about

that were so fascinating to me. This is the same

thing that caused so much confusion when Joshua

and the people marched around the city of Jericho

those seven times. And don't you know that it

was the tribe of Judah that was on the front

lines of the people of God. As they began to,

on the seventh day, lift up their voices with

a great and glorious shout unto the Lord. And

they raised their horns. And they lifted their

trumpets. And they began to praise God. It must

have confused their enemies who were there thinking,

what has gotten into these crazy people? What

has gotten into these lunatic people? What has

gotten into these backwards people? What do they

think that they're going to do? to overcome us

just by making a bunch of noise but let me tell

you something here in the holy ghost to the world

there's a bunch of noise but to god is the key

to victory oh i don't care what anybody says

about me i don't care what anybody's got thinks

about me i know that if i lift up my voice unto

god i know that if i walk in the dimension of

praise that god Piano player, I need your help

right now. I feel something about to break in

this house today. There is something that God

is doing. He is shifting us. He is aligning us.

He said, I need you to be that people of praise.

I need you to be mamas. I need you to be mamas

of praise. I feel something about to sweep over

my soul right now. Where are the sisters? Where

are the mamas? Where are the mothers who really

know how to praise God? Are the sisters and the

moms. Who show oh my God. Who can praise God

in the good time. Are there any sisters in the

house today. That said if God be true. Let every

man be a liar. Is there a woman of faith here

today. That says I'm going to lift my voice unto

God. Come hell and high water. I praise him in

the kitchen all by myself. I praise him on the

way to work. I praise him when I'm coming home.

i will bless the lord at all times oh my god

and his praises shall continually be in my mouth

oh my god my god my god my god somebody shout

hallelujah somebody shout hallelujah come on

shout hallelujah If there's something I want

my children to learn, I don't just want them

to learn just how I dress, which is good, and

just how I talk, which is good. But I got to

give them the secret how to get through every

valley, every high, and every low in this life.

I got to show my son and my daughter that when

the going gets tough, you don't sit there and

fold your arms and wait for things to get better,

honey. lifter I got oh my god my god my god i

want my children to know the secret to the blessings

of god they are not received through material

things they are not received through carnal things

but the blessings of the lord are received in

spiritual means and there is nothing more spiritual

there is nothing more prophetic than when somebody

full of faith begins to exercise your faith And

begins to magnify the name of the Lord. There

is not. Oh, hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh, my God,

my God, my God. We've come now to a generation

where people are smarter than they've ever been.

They're more intelligent than they've ever been,

Brother David. They're more educated than they've

ever been. And I've got a problem with some of

it on this note. I'm not against those things.

I'm not against knowledge, intellectualism. All

that is wonderful if it can be used for the glory

of God. But I've come to tell you that sometimes

we analyze ourselves out of a prophetic praise.

Oh, my God. Oh, my Lord. Our knowledge and our

pride and all those things get in the way. We

start getting into this state where we just think

I'm too cute to do that now. Oh, my God. I'm

too dignified to praise him like that now. Somebody

better help me today. He said, Pastor, but I

got degrees on the wall now. And I got respect

on the workplace now. And I got the respect of

my neighbors now. And I can't be acting like

that anymore. The devil is a liar, brother. I

wonder if there's a man in this house, a young

man. an older man of faith that says i know the

key to victory i know the key to glory and i'm

not ashamed i'm not ashamed to lift up my voice

i'm not ashamed to praise my god Somebody ought

to stand up on your feet. Somebody ought to rise

up in faith. Somebody ought to stand up in the

Spirit and give God the glory. I've come to a

place where I will not apologize. I've come to

a place where if my praise makes you uncomfortable,

that's your problem. It's not mine. place where

I was going to praise God whether you like it

or not because I know I know I know what the

Lord has done for me I know I wish somebody would

just lose your mind for a few moments I wish

somebody would just give God the glory give God

the praise hey I'm here to tell you, I got nothing

against those things. Those things are wonderful.

But let us never forget where we came from. Let

us never forget what brought us to where we are

today. It wasn't how smart you were. It wasn't

how cute you were. It wasn't the car you drive.

It wasn't the stuff you own. It was that you

knew how to put on the garment of praise. him

when I got a lot because I learned how to praise

him when I had nothing that's why I can praise

him when I'm feeling good because I learned how

to praise him when